Police Pursuit Leading Up To Crash That Killed New Father 'Should Have Been Terminated'

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MASHPEE (CBS) -- Mashpee police released details Thursday on the moments before a head-on collision killed a fleeing driver, his passenger, and a new father driving home from visiting his newborn in the hospital. Kevin Quinn, a 32-year-old Marine veteran was killed when a Toyota sedan crossed the center line and struck his SUV on July 28, police said.

On Thursday, police announced the other driver, 22-year-old Mickey Rivera of Fall River, was refusing to pull over for police, "initiating a chain of events which resulted in a motor vehicle pursuit on Route 28 towards the Town of Barnstable ended in a tragic motor vehicle crash."

The scene of a fatal Cotuit crash. (WBZ-TV)

A complete report on the investigation included witness and police officer interviews. Police Chief Scott Carline wrote, "I have come to the conclusion that this motor vehicle pursuit, based on the need to apprehend a suspect fleeing outweighing the risk by the pursuit, should have been terminated."

The department maintained that officers should never pursuit suspects if it puts the public at risk. At times, Rivera was going almost 100 miles per hour to get away from police. The officer said he was going about 65 miles per hour to follow Rivera but at times could not see his car.

Kevin Quinn (Family photo)

"We want to hold ourselves accountable to the community and I have released all the pertinent information regarding the investigation," said Carline.

Rivera had a criminal record and was out on reduced bail at the time of the crash.

Mickey Rivera. (Photo credit: Fall River Police Dept.)

Before the crash, Quinn had been visiting his wife, Kara, and their newborn baby daughter, Logan Audrey — who was born three days earlier— in the maternity ward of Cape Cod Hospital. Quinn's friends set up a GoFundMe memorial fund that had raised more than $312,000 so far.