Teen Linked to 2 Slayings Shot After Car Chase

A teen-ager linked to the slaying of an elderly Ohio couple led authorities on a desert car chase and wild shoot-out that ended when the youth was shot and critically wounded, authorities said Friday.

The 17-year-old suspect, believed to be from Ohio, was driving a 1985 Cadillac Seville owned by the dead couple, and detectives believe some of the clothes found in the car may have also belonged to the victims.

However, detectives may never be able to question the youth. He was reported in critical condition after the Thursday afternoon shoot-out with a California Highway Patrol officer about 15 miles north of here.

Doctors at San Bernardino County Medical Center said the teen would probably have “severe brain damage” if he survives the bullet wound in his head, CHP Sgt. Billy Bradshaw said.

Prominent Couple

The youth is linked to the shooting deaths of Dr. Robert Craig, 72, and his wife, Helen, 73. The couple, prominent residents of the affluent Dayton, Ohio, suburb of Oakwood, were found shot to death in their home Wednesday morning, Oakwood Police Chief Michael Kelly said.

The chase between the Highway Patrol officer and the suspect began shortly before 1 p.m. Thursday, when Sgt. Carol Songer stopped to assist the youth, who had pulled the Cadillac to the side of Interstate 40.

The teen-ager sped off and led the officer on a chase that ended when the Cadillac crashed into an oncoming truck, overturning the car, CHP officials said.

The youth made an unsuccessful attempt to commandeer the disabled truck by pointing a gun at the trucker’s head and another aborted try at taking control of a passing car filled with a family of four, CHP officials said.

Throughout the chase, the officer was unable to run a check on the Cadillac’s license, because the agency’s computer was not working.

The youth and the officer exchanged several shots after the Cadillac careened into the truck, but both missed.

Then the officer ducked into some bushes, reloaded his gun and fired another shot, striking the teen-ager in the head.

Although the youth was unconscious, he continued to clutch his gun tightly. Officers who arrived at the scene had to pry the weapon from his hands, CHP spokeswoman Betty Caraway said.