Allegedly impaired teen tries to run, assaults officer after causing fatal Phoenix pileup

A teen tried to flee and assaulted an officer after causing a multivehicle pileup near a Phoenix bus stop that left a woman dead on Thursday night, authorities said.

Jeffrey Daniel White, 18, was arrested and booked into jail on an aggravated assault charge, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Preliminary information indicated White was driving a gray Volvo SUV at a high rate of speed when he crashed into the back of a white Dodge Ram pickup. The collision triggered a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles stopped behind a bus that was letting off passengers near 19th Avenue and Evans Drive around 9:10 p.m.

The crash pushed a car driven by 76-year-old Frances Homer off the roadway and into a small, brick pony wall. Homer was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Following the collision, White tried to flee the scene but was detained by witnesses. While at the hospital being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, White kicked an officer in the face, police said.

Authorities said White showed signs of impairment while being evaluated.

The other drivers involved, a 33-year-old man, 45-year-old man and 26-year-old man, were all uninjured.

The deadly collision occurred a day after an SUV crashed into a group of people waiting at a bus stop near 46th Street and Baseline Road on Wednesday morning. Five people were hospitalized after that incident.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Senior Editor Kevin Stone contributed to this report. 

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