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Police: Driver of other vehicle admitted to chasing Ben Davis students before deadly crash

Posted at 10:03 AM, May 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-19 13:26:03-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- The driver of a second vehicle involved in an April crash that killed two Ben Davis High School students told police he was chasing the students' vehicle at the time of the crash. 

According to a crash report recently made available, the driver of a black Ford was found by police after the crash. The driver told police he didn't make any direct contact with the vehicle. 

Brandon Gross, 18, and Taylor Parsons, 17, were killed in the crash. Both attended Ben Davis. Kristopher Church, 17, Michael Blackmore, 19, and Olivia Evans, 18, were injured. Church and Blackmore are former Ben Davis students, while Evans is a current student. 

The crash happened on I-70 near Harding Street around 9:15 p.m. on April 18 when a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder slid into the grass and rolled several times.

RELATED |Indiana State Police say altercation took place before fatal crash involving Ben Davis students

All five people were ejected from the vehicle. They were not wearing seatbelts during the time of the crash, investigators said.

Investigators said at the time there was some sort of altercation at Rhodius Park between the people in the car and others at the park.

"Taylor wouldn't have been in that situation. She wouldn't have been going 90 on I-70 if she wasn't being chased. None of this would have happened if she wasn't being chased," said Kassie Ferguson, Taylor Parson's cousin, at the time. "I saw her that day, we both said 'I love you' to each other."
 

"That's the purpose of our investigation is to try and determine exactly what happened from the time those teenagers left the park to the time the tragic crash happened on I-70," said Sgt. John Perrine, Indiana State Police.

PREVIOUS |Teens killed in crash were Ben Davis students

The prosecutor will determine if charges will be filed against the driver of the Ford.

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