South Bend Tribune
NILES, Ind. — The driver of a stolen pickup truck who was killed Sunday when the vehicle crashed during a police pursuit was identified Monday as 15-year-old Jazmyne Rodriquez.
The Niles Police Department said the teen, believed to be from Niles, was driving a pickup truck that had been reported stolen from the 1800 block of Sycamore Street in Niles about 8:15 a.m. Sunday. About 15 minutes after area police agencies were advised of the theft and provided with a description of the vehicle, it was spotted by a Niles city police officer near Miller and Margaret streets, police said.
The officer activated his overhead lights and siren after the auto turned north onto Spansail but police said that instead of stopping, Jazmyne continued to drive north, disregarded a stop sign at Kathryn Street and accelerated after turning east on Yankee Street.
Police said a trooper with the Michigan State Police in Niles attempted to deploy stop sticks about a half-mile up the road but the girl, traveling about 85 mph, veered across the westbound lane of traffic and struck a tree. The truck then rolled, police said, and ended up on its side about 40 yards away.
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