41°
Dishawn Bellamy, 32, and a 17-year-old boy were in a Ford Explorer that sped past two officers headed toward the sound of gunfire in the area of Atkins Avenue and Boston Way in separate cars shortly before 7:30 p.m. on June 5, 2022.
One of the officers recognized Bellamy, who "was known to have an active arrest warrant for a charge of attempted murder," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.
Both officers activated the emergency lights on their vehicles when the Explorer suddenly sped off, the attorney general said.
Less than a mile down the road, Bellamy lost control of the SUV while trying to make a left and it rolled into a home in Neptune Township, he said.
Both police vehicles were still more than a block away when the crash occurred, Platkin said.
A 25-year-old Neptune man and a 15-year-old boy from Asbury Park both bailed and tried to run but were caught by police, the attorney general said. Neither had any significant injuries from the crash, he said.
State law mandates that any and all civilian deaths that occur during or immediately after an encounter with law enforcement in New Jersey be investigated.
That was done by Platkin's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, with the results presented to a grand jury "in a neutral, objective manner, with appropriate transparency regarding the process," the attorney general said.
The presentation to the grand jury included interviews of witnesses, photographs, review of body-worn and police dashboard camera footage and autopsy results from a medical examiner.
The panel concluded deliberations this past Monday, Oct. 16, and voted a "no bill," which essentially means that the officers did nothing to justify any suspicions of wrongdoing.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Saddle Brook-Elmwood Park and receive free news updates.
