Louisiana Cop Charged Over Deaths Of Two High School Teenagers In Freak Crash

A Louisiana cop rammed into an unrelated vehicle in the small town of Brusly while chasing a car theft suspect on New Year's Eve – leading to the deaths of two high school cheerleaders in a freak crash.

Officer David Cauthron, 42, who had been with the Addis police force for less than a year was berated and charged with negligent homicide in the deaths of Maggie Dunn, 17, and Caroline Gill, 16. Dunn's brother Liam was critically injured in the crash as well, and in the worst-case scenario, Cauthron will face another charge.

He was arrested and booked Sunday night and is being held on a $100,000 bond. He was also charged with one count of negligent injury. Cauthron remained in jail as of Monday morning, WBRZ reported.

"That cop has a lot of questions to answer pertaining to his speed and sheer negligence," District Attorney Tony Clayton said Sunday. "The public can rest assured, we will follow the facts." Sources told the outlet that Cauthron didn't hit the brakes before ramming into Dunn and Gill's car. His car GPS indicated he was going about 86 miles per hour during the chase, and his police unit also ran a red light before striking the victims' car.

"For these kids to not to have been able to start the New Year is inexcusable, but we'll follow the facts first," Clayton told the news outlet. "I just can't put my arms around why (the officer) was driving at that rate of speed in pursuit of this vehicle. This officer is facing some serious issues."

The DA also inquired why a high-speed pursuit was carried out for a home invasion and stolen vehicle. "If it involves putting human life in danger, stop the damn pursuit," Clayton said, The Advocate reported. "It's just not worth the risk."

The Brusly community has come together to support the families of the victims during this time. A local favorite food joint called Rio Cantina will be donating a portion of proceeds collected Monday and Tuesday to the Dunn and Gill families.

"We are in a small community over here, we're really tight," said Rio Cantina owner Moe Badawi said. "Everybody knows everybody as you can see. We all stand together no matter what."

"It's just tragic. On the holiday of New Years and it's just a senseless thing that happened and any support we can give to the family is what we're here to do today," said a patron, who came from New Roads with a table of 15 to support, WBRZ reported.