ST. LOUIS (AP) — An 11-year-old girl is the fifth person to die from her injuries in a crash caused by a vehicle that police had tried to stop in the minutes before it hit a van carrying seven family members, authorities said.
The St. Louis medical examiner’s office confirmed on Monday the death of Takera Thompson, 11, of St. Louis, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported. She died at a hospital three days after the May 6 crash.
Also killed in the crash were the child’s grandmother, Anngelique Simmons, 56, of St. Louis; Takera's aunt, Rhonda Simmons, 34, of St. Louis; and two great-uncles, Ephriam “Wayne” Simmons, 47, of St. Louis, and Luther Simmons, 34, of Florissant. Two other children in the van also suffered critical injuries.
The crash happened when a Jeep that had been reported stolen fled a police stop and crashed into the minivan. Police had used tire-puncturing strips to try to flatten the Jeep's tires just before the crash.
Police arrested two juveniles who were passengers in the Jeep, but have been unable to find the Jeep's driver after he ran from the wreckage.