EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana motorist who crashed into a family’s car while trying to flee from the police, killing two children and injuring their parents, was speeding and blew through several stop signs during the chase, authorities allege in court documents.
Frederick McFarland, 26, was charged Monday with two counts each of resisting law enforcement causing death and resisting law enforcement causing serious bodily injury in the Nov. 29 police chase the ended with the deadly crash in Evansville, in southwestern Indiana.
The felony charges against McFarland indicate officials consider him responsible for the deaths of 7-month-old Prince Carter and 2-year-old Princess Carter and their parents’ injuries.
A probable cause affidavit filed with the charges states that McFarland was speeding during the chase and drove through multiple stop signs before that crash occurred, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.
The pursuit began after officers checked the license plate on McFarland’s car and found that it belonged to another vehicle, police said.
McFarland fled the scene, leading officers on a four-minute-long chase that ended when he ran a stop sign and his car crashed into a car carrying a family. The two children were killed and their parents, Janae Carter, 23, and Terrence Barker, 26, were seriously injured.
The Evansville Police Department has defended the officers’ actions and released body camera footage Friday showing officers arriving at the crash scene.
McFarland was hospitalized after the crash and had not been booked into the Vanderburgh County jail by Tuesday afternoon, online jail records showed. But an arrest warrant was issued Friday for McFarland, who will be held without bond. It wasn’t clear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Prosecutors have filed for a habitual offender sentence enhancement that could make McFarland’s sentence longer if he’s convicted of the felony charges.
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com
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