A family is speaking publicly for the first time since a crash involving teens in a stolen car claimed the life of a young mother.
Police said there were four teens in the stolen car that crashed into Shaunte Canty, killing her and hurting her son. The crash happened Tuesday in the Landover area of Prince George’s County.
“It just hurts,” Carletta Chase, Canty’s mom, said. “When I rode up the street and saw the balloons, I know it’s where I lost my baby.”
Canty was driving her son to a therapy appointment when police said the teen driver of a stolen car ran a red light at Martin Luther King Jr. and Sheriff Road and slammed into them.
Canty had two children, a 3-year-old son with autism and a 5-year-old girl who just started kindergarten.
“My grandbabies need their mother,” Chase said.
Police said Seat Pleasant officers initially followed the stolen car but had stopped before the crash happened.
Surveillance video captured the car speeding by and the impact.
Investigators said one of the teens was taken into custody and three were taken to the hospital. All of the teens are between age 15 and 17. It’s unclear what charges they’ll face.
“Violations of the law we see, we will charge for that,” said Interim Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson.
Canty’s family wants the teens to face serious consequences and be charged as adults for taking her life and seriously hurting her son.
“We want to put it out there, we don’t want to fault the parents for the accident, because the kids chose to do what the kids wanted to do, and the kids should be held accountable for what they did,” Canty’s cousin, Carol Chase Judge, said.
Chase, who had seen her daughter just hours before the crash, said she will help raise her grandkids along with their father.
The family set up an online fundraising campaign to help with expenses. The little boy will need extra care, as he suffered serious injuries in the crash.
“He has a broken arm and leg,” Chase said. “He’s doing OK. He’s moving his left arm now. He’s been in a lot of pain.”
Canty was enjoying life as a mom and had planned to return to school to study nursing, helping children with autism.
“She was a loving, caring mother,” Chase said. “All her life revolved around the kids.”
Now their focus is turning to raising the children and seeking justice for Canty.
“When they take a life, an adult will serve time — a lot of time,” Canty’s cousin said. “A juvenile will only serve until they’re 21, but when something like this happens, they need to put more time onto them.”
The family is making funeral arrangements and planning a vigil for Saturday.
Detectives are in consultation with the state’s attorney’s office to determine what charges the teens may face. They also are being investigated for other crimes related to the stolen car.
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