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Teenage girls shoplift, crash car into pole after police chase

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A case of small-scale shoplifting at a convenience store landed several Ohio girls in the hospital Tuesday after a police chase.

Around 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, a group of five teenage girls went into a Cincinnati store and allegedly left without paying for a few snacks.

According to the police, an officer at the scene saw a car that matched the description of the suspect vehicle while he was completing the theft report.

The officer instigated a traffic stop but the car refused to pull over. The officer then chased the car, which lost control and slammed into a utility pole. The girls are facing criminal charges.

The stolen goods include potato chips, cookies, beef jerky, fruit flavored drinks, energy bars and candy. The total value of the loot: $26.29.

Three girls were injured in the crash. Casey Grace, 12, is in critical condition. The two other injured girls were Shavonni Wright, 14, and the driver, 16-year-old Tierra Thomas. There were two other girls, 14 and 15, in the car who were uninjured.

Grace suffered a severe cut to her forehead and was unconscious. Wright complained of hip pain while Thomas only suffered cuts to her knees.

Thomas could be facing additional charges for state curfew and driving violations. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Ohio law prohibits drivers under 17 from driving with more than one person unless they are immediate family or are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. It also prohibits drivers under 18 from being on the road from 1 to 5 a.m. without an adult. The state curfew bans teens under 16 from being out without an adult from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and midnight to 5 a.m. for teens over 16 and under 18. It is also uncertain whether Thomas had a valid driver’s license.

The two uninjured girls were not believed to be involved with the theft and were released with curfew citations.

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