Janae Carter was on her way to buy baby wipes when a driver fleeing police over a license plate violation smashed into her car at 74 mph, killing her boyfriend and two children in Evansville, Indiana. They are among thousands of innocent people who have needlessly died in police chases across the country in recent years, yet the federal government doesn’t comprehensively track pursuit fatalities, the Chronicle found. So reporters set to work. They spent a year identifying and examining more than 3,300 deaths resulting from chases — the fullest accounting yet.
What they uncovered in “Fast and Fatal” was remarkable: Police pursuits claimed nearly two lives a day in recent years, far more than previously known. Reporters found that the number of people killed in pursuits has soared in recent years to a record high, and revealed that the federal government is significantly undercounting pursuit fatalities, leaving hundreds of these deaths hidden. The majority of victims were bystanders or passengers, not fleeing drivers. Contrary to popular belief, most pursuits began over low-level offenses, not violent crimes. Black people were four times as likely as white people to be killed in chases.
Even when pursuing officers violated policy or the law, they rarely faced consequences when people died, the investigation found. Local governments frequently paid million-dollar settlements after police injured or killed people during chases.
The Chronicle spoke with dozens of families shattered by the loss of their loved ones, centering their powerful accounts. Reporters combined material from interviews, court documents, police reports, depositions, and body and dash camera footage to hold specific people and agencies accountable for fatal chases.
The investigation reframed the nation’s collective understanding of pursuits, one of the most dangerous law enforcement activities in America, and is informing conversations around changes to protect the public. The Chronicle’s first-of-its-kind database and methodology, published in accessible formats, enabled reporters across the country to localize stories and educate readers about the unique dangers in their own communities.
