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I was reading this story on local news web pages, and it seems members of the public are upset with how the officers handled this incident. I was curious to get other's input on it.
BRIDGEWATER, S.D.-- A high-speed chase killed three people Thursday night after the driver, with three of his children in the vehicle, crashed into a tree near Bridgewater.
The driver and two of his children died when the minivan hit a tree and burst into flames, according to Davison County sheriff's deputy Mark Vaughan. A third passenger in the minivan was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital.
"At times, he was driving at 90 or better on gravel roads," Vaughan said. "(He) would not stop for stop signs, he went right through. He ended up taking this road, and probably going too fast for the road conditions, went off the road."
Neither the driver nor any of the children have been identified.
It began after the man went to his mother or grandmother's house in Ethan, tied her up and took his three children, Vaughan said. The man had a knife and was wanted on a parole violation.
A Hanson County sheriff's deputy spotted him on Interstate 90, and the driver started to give chase about 6:30 p.m.
They headed south eight to 10 miles to Bridgewater along Highway 42, onto Highway 262 and eventually crashed on 269th Street four miles south of town. Stop spikes were attempted on Highways 42 and 262, but the driver went around them.
The chase stayed mostly on back roads, and the driver hit speeds of at least 90 miles per hour, Vaughan said.
Scott Glanzer and his wife, Rhonda, live on a farm near the crash site.
They were at his daughter's softball game when he started getting calls from friends that there was a fire near his farm.
When they had someone check up on it, they learned there had been an accident.
"You hear two little kids get killed, you never hear of this in a small community," Glanzer said. "Being this close to it is another scary feeling."
There's no information on why the driver took the kids.
The Highway Patrol and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.
Gallus Thill, who runs Cooks Inn in Ethan, said the town of 350 people is a close-knit community.
He hadn't heard much about the incident but said it was surprising.
"I can't believe that would happen," he said. "I would figure everybody in this town should be levelheaded enough to know that you're not going to outrun the cops."
BRIDGEWATER, S.D.-- A high-speed chase killed three people Thursday night after the driver, with three of his children in the vehicle, crashed into a tree near Bridgewater.
The driver and two of his children died when the minivan hit a tree and burst into flames, according to Davison County sheriff's deputy Mark Vaughan. A third passenger in the minivan was airlifted to a Sioux Falls hospital.
"At times, he was driving at 90 or better on gravel roads," Vaughan said. "(He) would not stop for stop signs, he went right through. He ended up taking this road, and probably going too fast for the road conditions, went off the road."
Neither the driver nor any of the children have been identified.
It began after the man went to his mother or grandmother's house in Ethan, tied her up and took his three children, Vaughan said. The man had a knife and was wanted on a parole violation.
A Hanson County sheriff's deputy spotted him on Interstate 90, and the driver started to give chase about 6:30 p.m.
They headed south eight to 10 miles to Bridgewater along Highway 42, onto Highway 262 and eventually crashed on 269th Street four miles south of town. Stop spikes were attempted on Highways 42 and 262, but the driver went around them.
The chase stayed mostly on back roads, and the driver hit speeds of at least 90 miles per hour, Vaughan said.
Scott Glanzer and his wife, Rhonda, live on a farm near the crash site.
They were at his daughter's softball game when he started getting calls from friends that there was a fire near his farm.
When they had someone check up on it, they learned there had been an accident.
"You hear two little kids get killed, you never hear of this in a small community," Glanzer said. "Being this close to it is another scary feeling."
There's no information on why the driver took the kids.
The Highway Patrol and the state Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.
Gallus Thill, who runs Cooks Inn in Ethan, said the town of 350 people is a close-knit community.
He hadn't heard much about the incident but said it was surprising.
"I can't believe that would happen," he said. "I would figure everybody in this town should be levelheaded enough to know that you're not going to outrun the cops."
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