Update:
A man with two children in the car fled from a Williamsburg police officer just prior to crashing into two other vehicles Friday evening, according to state police.
The driver, Leon W. Cowles Jr., 40, of Williamsburg, was killed in the collision just before 9 p.m. along with the driver of a second vehicle, Hamed Kamel Juma, 58, of Williamsburg, according to state police.
Both children in Cowles’ vehicle, an 8 and 10-year-old, were taken to Riverside Regional Hospital in Newport News with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The children were wearing seatbelts; Cowles was not, according to state police.
Investigators believe Cowles was driving a Dodge Avenger that fled from a city police officer who had tried to stop the vehicle. The Avenger was speeding westbound on Monticello Avenue when it struck a van at Ironbound Road. The impact of that crash caused one of the vehicles to then strike a Mercedes Benz that was also southbound on Ironbound Road, according to state police.
Juma was driving the van. His wife and two children were transported to Riverside Regional Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. All occupants in the Toyota were wearing seatbelts, state police said.
The driver of the Mercedes, a 62-year-old Williamsburg man, was transported to Riverside Regional Hospital for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
The crash remains under investigation at this time.
Previous
Two people died Friday evening after a three-vehicle accident at the Williamsburg and James City County line, according to state police.
Officers responded to the crash at Ironbound Road and Monticello Avenue around 8:53 p.m., and confirmed the two fatalities, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
