A car full of Missouri teens was stopped by police but only given a warning just one hour before two of the passengers died in a fiery crash, according to authorities.
Anthony Dunlap, 19, was pulled over on Monday morning, one hour before his life would tragically end along with one of his fellow passengers.
Police stopped the teen after spotting three of his passengers hanging out of the vehicle's windows and shouting. Dunlap was given a field sobriety test and officers determined he had "next to nothing in his system."
He was the designated driver for the evening and was bringing his friends back from a local house party, WDAF-TV reported.
"The driver exhibited no signs of impairment. The driver further submitted to a portable breath test, which showed less than half of .02 BAC," police said in a press release.
Under Missouri law, anything under .02 BAC is not enough to be considered a minor possession. Dunlap was one of two teens killed in the crash, along with Michael Smith, 17.
The police officer who stopped the teens said Dunlap was very cooperative and said he would lock the windows to keep his friends from hanging out of the car.
Police also said they searched the vehicle and did not discover any alcohol or alcoholic beverage containers, despite smelling a strong odor of booze, according to WDAF-TV.
In a release, the department stated they had "no legal justification to further detain the driver."
After the Excelsior Springs Police Department officer let the group go, Dunlap later crashed into a center concrete median, killing himself and Smith.
The two other passengers were transported to a hospital and are expected to survive.
Dunlap's family believed he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
One of the passengers, who remains hospitalized, told WDAF-TV that they were all drunk that night.
http://www.nydailynews.co .. icle-1.2691896
Anthony Dunlap, 19, was pulled over on Monday morning, one hour before his life would tragically end along with one of his fellow passengers.
Police stopped the teen after spotting three of his passengers hanging out of the vehicle's windows and shouting. Dunlap was given a field sobriety test and officers determined he had "next to nothing in his system."
He was the designated driver for the evening and was bringing his friends back from a local house party, WDAF-TV reported.
"The driver exhibited no signs of impairment. The driver further submitted to a portable breath test, which showed less than half of .02 BAC," police said in a press release.
Under Missouri law, anything under .02 BAC is not enough to be considered a minor possession. Dunlap was one of two teens killed in the crash, along with Michael Smith, 17.
The police officer who stopped the teens said Dunlap was very cooperative and said he would lock the windows to keep his friends from hanging out of the car.
Police also said they searched the vehicle and did not discover any alcohol or alcoholic beverage containers, despite smelling a strong odor of booze, according to WDAF-TV.
In a release, the department stated they had "no legal justification to further detain the driver."
After the Excelsior Springs Police Department officer let the group go, Dunlap later crashed into a center concrete median, killing himself and Smith.
The two other passengers were transported to a hospital and are expected to survive.
Dunlap's family believed he may have fallen asleep at the wheel.
One of the passengers, who remains hospitalized, told WDAF-TV that they were all drunk that night.
http://www.nydailynews.co .. icle-1.2691896
