I wonder if the "man with a gun" was bad guy or not, they don't say.

from this web site: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-...-newslocal-hed

Child killed in Allentown police car crash
By Dalondo Moultrie and Terry McCoy Of The Morning Call

Two Allentown police officers responding to a call Wednesday night crashed their cars into each other, then one careened into two pedestrians, killing a 4-year-old boy.

After the crash at N. Seventh and Chew streets, a large crowd of people gathered, with some throwing rocks and bottles at police and others questioning police procedures and responsibility in the death.

Daviay Lagrand, 4, was walking with his mother, Crystal Lagrand, when he was killed, said the boy's great-grandmother, Ruby Peoples, and great-aunt, Cheryl Burton. They said Daviay, who was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown after the crash, would have turned 5 next month.

The father of Daviay's two siblings was also hurt, Peoples and Burton said. They did not remember his name.

"First you heard the sirens, then you heard the tires screech, then you heard the bang," said Crystal Spearman, who said she witnessed the accident. "The little boy was laying there, severed in half."

About 8 p.m., police responding to a call of a man with a gun raced to the scene, said Allentown Police Chief Roger MacLean. While rushing to the call, the two patrol cars smashed into one another at N. Seventh and Chew. Witnesses at the scene said the officer traveling west on Chew had a green light and went through it. The officer driving south on Seventh sped through the red light and crashed into the other, witnesses said.

Once the cars collided, they skidded toward a family walking on Chew, hitting the man and Daviay. Witnesses said they saw the boy's severed body lying on the street for several minutes before paramedics arrived.

"This is straight up all the Allentown Police Department's fault," said Christina Smith of Allentown, who said she witnessed the crash.

MacLean, who responded to the accident scene along with Mayor Ed Pawlowski, said state police were called to investigate the accident.

He couldn't estimate when more specifics will emerge about the crash.

The two police officers were sent back to the Allentown police station, MacLean said, adding that he has no idea who they are. MacLean said he also didn't know what happened in the initial incident that prompted the response.

People at the scene said they routinely see police cruisers speeding around the area, sometimes with lights and sirens blaring, sometimes not.

"They are all flying on this street," said Allentown resident Nancy Balverdy. "Eating the lights, they don't stop. There are a lot of kids playing out on this street. Families outside."

Angel Molina, who lives in the area, said the police car involved in the crash traveling west on Chew did not have its lights activated. He said the car on Seventh had its lights on.

"The cruisers hit each other and then the one flew into the kid and the man," Molina said. "It looked like they were going over 55 mph … on their way to an emergency."

As word spread about the crash, scores of residents gathered and began yelling at police for pushing onlookers away from the scene. William Spearman of Allentown was one of the most vocal in the early moments after the crash.

Spearman said officers initially aligned their patrol cars to shield the victims from view. He said paramedics had a tough time reaching the victims because police cruisers blocked their path.

Then, as onlookers became more vocal, Spearman said, officers began moving them farther away from the scene.

"They are not going to tell the truth of how they were speeding through traffic and got to the intersection then turned on their lights," Spearman said. "We want to know how many of these officers from APD are going to stand up and accept accountability."

Later, people who gathered taunted and cursed officers. Pawlowski, MacLean and City Councilman Julio Guridy approached the crowd, trying to talk to residents. They received the same harsh response, with yells and catcalls directed their way.

Three bottles and several rocks were thrown from upper stories of surrounding buildings between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m.; none hit officials but cars may have been hit. The police tape was extended twice. Threats of arrest were made for disorderly conduct. Once television cameras arrived, the noise level increased.

Pawlowski said officials planned to go to the hospital and meet with the family. He said his office will meet with residents within five days to determine the cause of the unrest and try to settle down the community.

"We'll explain what happened and try to figure out what the issue [for the disturbance] is," he said.

"My goal is to make sure that we can calm people down. We're going to try to pull the community together, try to assess what happened, to grieve the loss and to calm the anxiety."

Besides Allentown and state police, South Whitehall, Whitehall, Emmaus and Salisbury police were on the scene.
Reporters Dan Hartzell, Tara Ballenger and Bill Tattersall contributed to this story