Teenager dies in Rugby crash after police chase

Jun 28 2009 EXCLUSIVE by Ben Goldby

A TEENAGER died and a schoolboy was fighting for his life last night after the stolen car they were driving crashed while being chased by cops.

Warwickshire Police said the Toyota Carina struck a viaduct in Rugby at around 1.30am yesterday after an officer investigating a report of a car-jacking started to follow the vehicle.

Scott Jones, 18, of Keswick Drive, Rugby, died of head injuries when the stolen motor smashed into the central pillar of the viaduct.

His devastated family were too upset to speak last night, but tributes to the teenager poured in on social networking site Facebook.

Will McCaffery wrote: “I can’t believe this has happened. It’s always the nice guys we lose.

“Sleep well big man. Thanks for the laughs, you’ll be missed.”

Scott’s best friend, 16 year-old student Jordan Burn, from the Brownsover estate in Rugby, remained in a critical condition at Coventry’s University Hospital last night after suffering leg and pelvic injuries in the crash.

The schoolboy’s uncle Lee Burn, 31, said his nephew was not a troublemaker.

“He is on breathing apparatus and has some broken bones,” he told the Sunday Mercury.

“As they drove past the police, they obviously spun round because they knew the car was nicked.

“They’re not the sort of lads who would nick a car. They were best mates, good lads.

“You wouldn’t say they were troublemakers, but if there was others leading them on they would follow.

“Jordan is due to start a mechanics course at Rugby college in a couple of weeks – he’s really looking forward to it.

“I don’t know why he decided to get into a nicked car. It’s terrible.”

A police spokesman said the crash happened shortly after a takeaway delivery driver was pushed away from his car by two men, who escaped in the vehicle.

“Shortly before 1.30am, a police officer who was on duty in the area following a report of a robbery, saw a red Toyota Carina with two males on board which he suspected might have been involved in the robbery,” he added.

“The officer, who was driving a marked vehicle, started to follow the Toyota.