KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Traffic investigators say the driver of a Jeep was going more than 90 mph when it crashed into another car Saturday, killing a woman and a 2-year-old child.
The Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Monday charged Derrius Tolson, at least 25 years old, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deaths of his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter.
Around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, a Kansas City, Missouri, police officer spotted two vehicles that appeared to be street racing in the area of Interstate 435 and Bannister Road. The officer spotted Tolson, who was driving a gray Jeep, run a red light at the interchange. Tolson then struck a Honda Accord that was turning onto Bannister from I-435.
The impact of the crash sent the Jeep into a rollover before it stopped upside down. The officer who had been in the area requested assistance.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they located Tolson suffering from non-life-threatening injuries and took him to a nearby hospital. Tolson’s girlfriend was extricated from the vehicle, but she was pronounced deceased at the scene. The child was also pronounced deceased on the scene.
The driver of the Honda was not injured. The driver of the car the Jeep was racing against, a light blue Dodge Challenger, did not remain on the scene.
Investigators used data from the Jeep’s onboard air-bag system to discover the Jeep was traveling between 92-94 mph at the time of the collision, with no brakes having been applied.
In an interview with detectives, Tolson said the driver of the Challenger revved his engine at the intersection of Blue Ridge Boulevard and Bannister Road, which Tolson grew suspicious over. Tolson admitted to running the red light that caused the crash with the Honda. He also admitted to detectives that he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day.
Tolson remains in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. He’s set to make an initial appearance before a judge Monday afternoon.
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