Two men die after car evading police crashed in St. Louis

Police officers attempted to stop a speeding car before it crashed with another vehicle and caused a chain-reaction crash that killed two people in the Vandeventer neighborhood, St. Louis authorities said Thursday.

But cops stopped short of calling the officers’ actions Wednesday night a chase or pursuit. “To my knowledge, there was no pursuit,” police spokesman Evita Caldwell said.

One of the men who died has been identified as Daron Whitt, 39. Police said Whitt was driving a car that was evading officers before it struck about 7:35 p.m. Wednesday in the 4200 block of East Page Boulevard, near Whittier Street.

The name of the second man who died in the same accident has not been revealed.

A total of four vehicles were involved in the crash. Police have not provided details on what injuries the other drivers and passengers suffered.

Whitt was driving a 2017 Infiniti Q50. Officers on patrol found the Infiniti at Page and Grand Boulevard as being wanted in relation to an assault and robbery case.

A crowd gathered downtown Thursday evening, right outside St. Louis Metropolitan Police Headquarters and chanting for justice for Whitt.

A crowd also reached at the scene of the crash to commemorate Whitt and made calls for an investigation.