ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A police chase in Orchard Park ended with four teenagers in custody and a fifth in critical condition at Erie County Medical Center.
The sequence of events leading up to the crash began at 2:26 a.m. when a vehicle clocked at 64 mph, in a 45-mph zone on Southwestern Boulevard, drove past a stationary Orchard Park Police vehicle.
The officer activated the emergency lights and wanted to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle continued to head west on Southwestern Boulevard. The vehicle crashed a short time later "while attempting to negotiate a curve in the road near the intersection of Webster Road," police said.
The vehicle struck a utility pole and rolled over multiple times before coming to a rest against the front porch of a home.
Four of the teens in the vehicle fled the scene. The fifth, a 16-year-old, was extricated by the Orchard Park Fire Company and taken to ECMC, where he was listed in critical condition.
The teens who fled the scene on foot were ages 14, 15, 15, and 17.
The 14-year-old and 15-year-olds have been charged with unlawful possession of weapons by persons under 16 years old and obstruction of governmental administration.
Charges for the 17-year-old who drove the vehicle include unlawful fleeing, reckless driving, failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle, speed in zone, passing a red light, and junior license restriction violations.
"He will also face penal law charges, which are currently being determined with the guidance of the Erie County District Attorney's Office," police said.