A Louisiana mother allegedly running from police for stealing baby items crashed her vehicle this week, killing the woman’s 5-week-old infant and her boyfriend, KNOE-TV reports.
The woman, 38-year-old Candace Gill, now faces numerous criminal charges, including two counts of manslaughter.
The incident began on Monday evening, when police in Monroe, Louisiana, were called to the local Walmart for a shoplifting complaint.
When officers arrived, store employees said that a man and woman, later identified as Gill, had stolen baby care items and then ran away when confronted.
Police soon found the suspects’ vehicle and began pursuit; the suspects drove onto a highway and accelerated to a high rate of speed. Even though police activated their lights and siren, the suspects did not stop initially.
However, Gill soon began driving the silver Camaro on the road shoulder, ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle at an intersection, the News-Star reports.
Gill fled the scene on foot while responding officers tended to the injured passengers.
The 5-week-old girl was rushed with serious injuries to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The baby was not restrained properly in the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to the television station.
A male passenger identified as Edward Williams, Gill’s boyfriend, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Fox News.
Two other people in a separate vehicle involved in the crash sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the television station.
After receiving a tip, police arrested Gill at an apartment complex on Tuesday evening. She was booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center.
In addition to manslaughter, Gill faces charges of aggravated obstruction of a highway, four counts of negligent injury, theft and multiple traffic violations.
There were active warrants for Gill at the time she was arrested, including theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and traffic-related charges.
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[Featured image: Candace Gill/Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office]
