Three people died in a Baltimore County crash after fleeing from a traffic stop Saturday night, according to Maryland State Police.
Police said a trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a Jeep Wrangler around 11:05 p.m. on the inner loop of Interstate 695 at Greensprings Avenue.
When the Jeep “took off,” the trooper deactivated his emergency lights, reentered traffic and did not pursue the vehicle, according to a news release.
Minutes later, the trooper neared the I-695 exit ramp to southbound Interstate 83 and observed the Jeep fully engulfed in flames in a grassy area next to the roadway, the release says.
According to police, a preliminary investigation indicated that the Jeep was attempting to exit onto the ramp for southbound I-83 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle lost control and hit the embankment then a tree before catching fire.
The driver and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel, the release says.
The road was closed for about four hours, according to police. An investigation is being conducted by the Maryland State Police CRASH Team.
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