One suspect is dead and five others have been cuffed after police chased a stolen car that had been linked to a series of crimes including a shooting Tuesday morning, authorities say.
The majority of the six alleged carjackers were juveniles, the Essex County prosecutor says. The age of the suspect who died wasn't immediately clear.
Authorities say that a mother dropping off her two children at school in a silver Jaguar sedan was carjacked in Newark at about 9:30 a.m. The group of carjackers went on a crime spree throughout the morning, including two shootings and a robbery, the prosecutor's office said.
Police began pursuing the Jaguar and were able to stop the car at one point, smashing one side of the vehicle as it was near Hawthorne Avenue and Demarest Street. That's when the people inside the vehicle bailed out. One of the suspects was struck by a responding police car and died at the scene, authorities said.
The other suspects fled, and tactical teams were called in to search several homes and abandoned buildings in the area.
They took three people into custody after the chase, and police dogs indicated that two others were inside an abandoned building in the area, authorities say.
Hostage negotiators were brought in. A short time later, Chopper 4 footage captured the two suspects running out of the building with their hands up. They went to the ground once they were on the street and were taken into custody.
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Dozens of police officers could be seen in the area Tuesday morning, some armed with assault rifles and tactical gear. At least 115 officers responded to the scene.
"This could have gotten crazy. This could have been far worse than this, there could have been subsequent robberies," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.
Two handguns were recovered by police from the stolen car, one of which had been used in the earlier robbery and shooting, authorities said.
