Shocking footage released Thursday showed the moment a stolen car fatally struck a pedestrian, another car and a Baltimore rowhome, which immediately collapsed over the wreckage.
The unreal scene took place Feb. 8 after cops attempted to pull over a driver accused of stealing a Hyundai Sonata, according to officials.
Video of the speeding Hyundai and the destructive crash was released by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, which is probing the incident.
The Hyundai barreled into another vehicle as the driver ran a red light, leading both cars to slam into the pedestrian and the vacant building that quickly fell to the ground and covered the cars in debris, the footage showed.
Baltimore man Alfred Fincher, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver of the Hyundai was arrested by police, the AG’s office said.
Footage shows officers descending upon the rubble as they shout at the suspect to show his hands as he exits the car. Cops are also seen rushing to dig out the others trapped in the debris.
Fleeing suspect Shawn Lee Brunson was charged on stolen auto immediately after the incident, according to reports.
In addition to the two drivers, three others were injured in the gnarly crash, CBS Baltimore reported.
The officers involved in the incident are under investigation by the attorney general’s Independent Investigation Division which is tasked with probing all officer-involved fatalities in the state. The division was created in 2021.
Bodycam footage from one of the officers involved in the attempted traffic stop indicated an unidentified speaker over police radio told cop Devin Yancy to “just let it go” as the Hyundai was sped off. Shortly after that guidance, the speaker over dispatch told the officer the car slammed into a building.
Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Richard Worley said in a news conference following the crash he didn’t believe officers chased after the car, but instead “tried to stop it,” the Baltimore Sun reported.
A lawyer representing Fincher’s family argued “the officer did not break off the pursuit,” according to the newspaper.
Baltimore police policy reportedly dictates officers are not allowed to chase a car if the initial violation is a property crime, including auto theft, but can pursue if the suspect is an immediate threat and if there is probable cause the suspect’s actions led to the death or serious injury of a victim before the pursuit. Various factors are also considered when deciding to chase a car, the outlet reported.
The attorney general’s office said the deadly crash occurred after an “attempted traffic stop.”
“Officers followed the Hyundai to the area of Sinclair Lane and North Wolfe Street, where it continued to flee,” the AG’s office said in a Feb. 10 press release that announced its probe into the fatal incident.
Officer Yancy has been with the department for more than four years.
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