A Toms River police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by a man suspected of being involved in a shooting in Lakewood June 7 and chased him for several minutes before terminating the pursuit, video released Wednesday shows.
The suspect later crashed the vehicle into a tree, killing himself and 16-year-old Gloucester Township boy who was his passenger. The video shows that the accident took place well after Toms River Police Ptl. Kyle Lamar terminated the pursuit and returned to normal speed, at one point stopping at a red light. Lamar later came upon the accident as he approached the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Cross Street in Lakewood.
A vehicle flees a Toms River police officer, June 8, 2018. (Credit: OCPO)
The driver, Rynell Bennett, 29, of Bellefonte,Pa., was wanted in connection with a shooting that had occurred earlier in the day in Lakewood. His vehicle was also unregistered and he was not wearing a seatbelt, according to Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Della Fave previously had said Lamar stopped the chase after Bennett ran a red light at the intersection of Route 70 and Massachusetts Avenue, fearing a threat to public safety.
Lamar and another officer got Bennett and the juvenile out of the vehicle and tried to revive them, but were unsuccessful. The two officers were later treated for smoke inhalation at Community Medical Center.
