URBANDALE, Iowa — One person is dead after a two-car crash in Urbandale early Friday, police said.
The scene was near NW 86th and Colby Parkway, not far from city hall. Crews had shut down NW 86th Street and Colby Parkway, plus NW 86th and Douglas Avenue, as investigators examined the scene.
The Urbandale Police Department said a car reported stolen around 3:30 a.m. Friday was headed south in the 4300 block of 86th Street when a second vehicle began to drive nearby. When an officer approached in their vehicle, "both vehicles accelerated away from the officer at a high rate of speed," Sgt. Chad Underwood told Local 5.
A few blocks away, the car reported stolen crashed with the second car. The driver of that vehicle has been identified as 18-year-old Sheldon Ballentine of Des Moines.
The driver of the second car, identified as 22-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Smith Jr. of Des Moines, was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later discovered that the car Smith was driving had also been stolen, but from West Des Moines.
Ballentine was arrested and charged with the following:
- Theft in the Second Degree
- Homicide by Motor Vehicle
- Felony Eluding
- Possession of a Controlled Substance
- Traffic Charges
At this time, police have not determined if Ballentine and Smith knew one another.
When asked for more details about how the crash happened, Sgt. Underwood said they will "continue to investigate this, and we're thankful for the help of the Iowa State Patrol, who is assisting us with that part of the investigation."
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