2 dead, 3 injured after police chase in Colchester

According to Vermont State Police, two men died and three were injured Friday night when a stolen vehicle overturned in Colchester following a chase with local police from Burlington.

The crash happened around 7:35 p.m. near Malletts Bay on East Lakeshore Dr., state police said in a news release early Saturday morning. Police did not immediately identify the five men in the vehicle. They said the injuries of the three survivors, who were taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, were not life-threatening.

State police are investigating at the request of Colchester police.

The incident began in Burlington, where the men allegedly stole a 2024 Ford Expedition. According to a preliminary investigation by state police, “at least one of the men brandished a firearm during the incident.”

After finding the vehicle, Burlington police officers began pursuit along Route 127 — known as the Beltline — into Colchester, nearly striking a Colchester police cruiser, state police said. When the vehicle crossed the municipal line, Colchester police resumed pursuit from West Lakeshore Dr. to East Lakeshore Dr., the release said.

The police were initially unable to describe exactly how the accident happened.

In addition to the state police investigation, the Burlington and Colchester police departments plan to conduct internal investigations into the chase, the release said, while the Burlington Police Department investigates the theft of the vehicle.

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