Pregnant newlywed, 18, and husband, 19, killed in police chase after cops wrongly thought they were robbers

A pregnant 18-year-old died alongside her teen husband when their car crashed during a police chase after cops wrongly thought they were robbers.

Pregnant newlywed, 18, and husband, 19, killed in 146km/h chase after cops wrongly thought they were samurai sword robbers. Picture: Facebook

A pregnant newlywed and her husband were killed in an 143km/h police chase after cops wrongly thought they were samurai sword robbers, an inquest heard today.

British couple Patrick McDonagh, 19, and 18-year-old pregnant wife Shauna died when their silver car was driven the wrong direction on a busy London road in February 2019.

Their car smashed head-on into a coach and burst into flames, the inquest heard on Monday, The Sun reports.

Shauna was eight months pregnant with their unborn daughter Sienna Marie, who was due to be born on Valentine’s Day that year.

They were suspected of having been involved in an armed robbery in which samurai swords were used, the hearing was told.

It was later revealed the couple were not connected to the crime.

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Patrick and Shauna McDonagh were killed in the crash. Picture: Facebook

POLICE CHASE

Shauna and Patrick, from Edgware, North London, were pronounced dead at the scene while a man – who was also in the couple’s Renault Mégane – was taken to hospital.

A jury at West London Coroner’s Court heard how police first followed the car after it drove through a red light.

They switched on their blue lights and pulled it over but, as an officer approached the car, it sped off.

As cops followed the vehicle they saw items being “thrown out of the window,” the inquest heard.

Officers were told by the police control room that the vehicle may be linked with an aggravated burglary in a nearby area in which samurai swords were used.

The Mégane sped through several more red lights before driving on to a busy road where it hit speeds of up to 143km/h despite a temporary speed limit of 64km/h.

Later in the chase, the Mégane went the wrong direction on the busy road.

Police, in three cars, were told to end the chase because it had become too dangerous.

But about one minute later, cops on the ground were told by officers in a helicopter that there had been a “big impact”.

They rushed to the scene to see the car in flames on the central reservation.

The 18-year-old was eight months pregnant with the couple’s first child. Picture: Facebook

The inquest heard how Michael was seen stumbling from the front passenger side door with a cut on his forehead.

After officers saw he had no weapons, he was given first aid before an ambulance arrived.

They found Shauna lying on the back seat with her head hanging out of the window.

An officer who tried to give her first aid found she had no pulse.

The inquest heard from PC Corin Grant, the driver of the first car to come across the couple.

He was looking for a missing person when the Mégane drove through a red light right in front of him.

He said: “I indicated for the car to stop with my blue lights which it has done, it’s pulled over on the pavement.

PREGNANT WIFE

“As the operator has gone towards the driver’s door the car was then driven off at speed.”

He added: “About 60 seconds after we have been told to terminate the pursuit, the commentary from the helicopter said that there has been a big impact.

“I made my way to the scene to see the Mégane was now straddling the central reservation.

“The female passenger was lying in the back seat, her head was laying against the door.

“I tried to do some first aid with her but there was no pulse.”

PC Rixon, another officer involved in the case, said: “We were advised the vehicle had possibly been involved in an aggravated burglary with the use of samurai swords.

“I believe in the case conference we had before this inquest was heard that it was not the case, but obviously at the time we had to act on the information that was given to us.”

An inquest heard police wrongly believed they were fleeing a burglary. Picture: Facebook

A third officer, PC Jenkinson, added: “My initial concern was that he may be armed given the radio transmission before – that the occupants may have samurai swords.”

The inquest is due to continue tomorrow.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission