NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – A car fleeing East Haven police on Saturday crashed head-on into a bystander’s vehicle, crushing the legs of the driver not involved in the incident and critically injuring the two people in the speeding car.

East Haven police said the officer ended the pursuit before the crash, but witnesses said the cruiser was chasing the suspects’ car moments before the crash.

State police said late Saturday the initial investigation showed East Haven police were not in pursuit of the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The identities of drivers and passengers in the cars were not released Saturday night. State police did not have updated information Sunday.

Police and witnesses said a Honda Accord swerved around another car just after 2 p.m. Saturday and collided head-on with a Mazda traveling in the opposite direction.

The impact sent the Accord airborne and it landed on its roof.

The Mazda was spun around by the impact.

East Haven police say officers had pulled over the Honda for misuse of license plates. The driver initially stopped but sped off as the officer approached.

The crash inflamed tensions between police and some residents. New Haven Alderman Robert Lee said he would seek an investigation.

He called the crash “Malik two,” referring to Malik Jones, a black man who was shot and killed by a white East Haven police officer following a chase in 1997 that began in East Haven and ended in New Haven.

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Information from: New Haven Register, http://www.ctcentral.com

AP-ES-10-16-05 1306EDT