Two killed after crash involving cars drag racing on street

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two women were killed when a stolen car that was drag-racing with a pickup crashed into their car, police said.

Six people were hurt. Names of those killed and injured were not released.

The stolen Chrysler Cirrus burst into flames, police said of the accident Monday afternoon. Passers-by rescued two young men from it. A third person in the car left the scene before going to the hospital. The injuries to the three were believed to be serious but not life-threatening, Police Chief Joe Mokwa said.

The males in the stolen car were 19, 16 and 15, police said. The 19-year-old was driving.

The driver and the front-seat passenger in a Dodge Neon that was struck by the Cirrus were killed instantly. A third woman in the car was in critical condition. Two teenagers in the car were taken to hospitals and listed in serious but stable condition.

Police are seeking the pickup, a Ford F-150.

The accident happened shortly after 2 p.m. on Natural Bridge Road alongside Fairground Park.

Corey Brasfield, 28, helped rescue one of the males in the stolen car.

"I saw them coming up real fast, and then I continued to look at them through my rearview mirror when they passed," he said. He saw the Neon make a right turn, and the Chrysler hit it broadside.

The impact knocked a back-seat passenger of the Neon out the back window. The trunk flipped open and flung her over the car and into the middle of the street, Mokwa said.

The Cirrus was stolen Friday in St. Louis, police said.

"I wish I could have done something to help the women," Brasfield said.

"These young cats are joyriding and having fun and they don't care who gets hurt."

Residents of the area said a lot of speeding goes on alongside the park.

A police reconstruction team was investigating, and charges were expected to be filed within the next day or two.