4 teens killed in crash after police use PIT maneuver ends chase sparked by shooting

TYLER, Texas (KLTV/Gray News) - A police chase sparked by a shooting ended in a crash that left four teens dead in Texas, authorities said.

According to the Tyler Police Department, on Sept. 27, officers were called to the 1500 block of Lake Placid Road in response to suspicious gunshot noises in the area. The caller also described a vehicle the alleged shooters were driving.

Around 4 a.m., police received a call from a local hospital saying they were treating two victims with gunshot wounds from the incident.

Officers investigating the incident saw the suspect vehicle and attempted to make contact. However, the vehicle drove away from the area and officers began a pursuit through Tyler that continued onto Highway 31 East at a high rate of speed.

According to the release, Texas Highway Patrol joined the chase as it exited the city. One trooper used a precision immobilization technique, known as a PIT maneuver, to end the pursuit, according to the department.

The vehicle crashed and the pursuit ended around 5:30 a.m. near County Road 211, officials said. Three occupants of the suspect vehicle died at the scene and one occupant was taken to the hospital, where that person later died, according to the release.

Police identified the occupants as Jaffet Cuarenta, 17, Adrielle Vazquez, 17, and Emigdio Gutierrez, 17, all of Tyler, and a 15-year-old from Smith County whose name was not released because of age.

The victims of the earlier shooting had non-life-threatening injuries and were identified as a 17-year-old male from Tyler and an 18-year-old female from Smith County. Their names are being withheld at this time, officials said.