NEW ORLEANS — Editor's Note: 31-year-old Joneaka Smooth turned herself in on Thursday, according to NOPD. She faces manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
A shoplifting pursuit in Jefferson Parish ended in a fatal car crash on Wednesday evening in New Orleans. The incident left two dead and one injured, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and the New Orleans Police Department. Police said two suspects are in custody.
Around 7:30 p.m., JPSO deputies were called to a store inside Lakeside Mall after a group of women were caught stealing. An off-duty deputy saw the women fleeing the mall in a red SUV, according to a news release. The deputy then notified on-duty deputies via radio and followed the women near I-10 East.
A pursuit began but lasted less than one minute. The SUV crossed the Jefferson-Orleans parish line, prompting a JPSO supervisor to terminate the chase.
"All deputies turned off their overhead lights, and progressed to the St. Bernard Ave. exit to turn around and head back to Jefferson Parish," a release said. "The termination of the pursuit was documented by both radio transmission and in-vehicle cameras."
JPSO said the SUV crashed into another vehicle on St. Bernard Avenue as the women reached the end of the off-ramp. Deputies then notified NOPD and New Orleans EMS.
Deputies said three women fled on foot, but one was found in the area and was taken into custody by JPSO deputies.
17-year-old identified in fatal crash
Authorities said three people were inside of the vehicle when it was struck by the SUV. One victim in the vehicle that was hit was pronounced dead on the scene and two others were taken to a nearby hospital. According to NOPD, the deceased victim in this incident is a 17-year-old juvenile female.
One of the teens was identified as Giselle Smith of unincorporated Gretna who was a senior at West Jefferson High School in Harvey, according to NOLA.com.
Another 17-year-old in the crash also died on Thursday after succumbing to her injuries, police said.
Her identity has not yet been released.
No further information is available at this time.
Previously reported
A heavy police presence surrounded the area near Dillard University on Wednesday night.
We reached out to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and were told the presence was due to an incident in the parish.
We sent a crew to check out the scene. At the scene, at least two cars were damaged, with multiple JPSO units in the area.
No information is available about arrests or injuries.
We reached out to JPSO to learn more information.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.