A wanted Delaware woman killed in a gunfire exchange with officers after a police chase spanning two states has been identified.
Authorities on Tuesday were attempting to arrest 23-year-old Yazmyn Stewart in connection with a December 2023 shooting when the ordeal began, NBC Philadelphia reported. She fled in a vehicle the moment she spotted officers, who had traveled to the 300 block of North Madison Street in Wilmington that morning to serve her arrest warrant.
A 34-year-old man was also charged in connection in the same shooting, Delaware Online reported. He was arraigned last week and his trial is pending. Stewart, meanwhile, was indicted last month on charges of first-degree assault, conspiracy and three weapons offenses.
“The female was wanted, and there was an active warrant, and that’s why she fled from police,” Chester Police Commissioner Steven Gretsky said.
Authorities said Stewart rammed her car into multiple police cruisers in her bid to dodge law enforcement. She then sped off on I-95 northbound, making her way into Pennsylvania. She eventually crashed in Chichester, at which point she pulled out a gun and fired at the pursuing police, according to investigators.
A pair of Delaware state troopers returned fire, but she managed to carjack a black SUV and fled once more. She continued on into Chester, where she again crashed, this time into a home under construction along the 1200 block of Kerlin Street, authorities said. She then escaped the wreckage and fled through the residence before attempting to escape in yet another vehicle. That’s when authorities opened fire.
Stewart, who was identified by family late Tuesday night, was pronounced dead on the scene.
This incident is under investigation by the Delaware County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney’s Office.
