PETERSBURG -- The two teenagers killed in a police chase early yesterday turned out not to be the shoplifting suspects police thought they were pursuing.

The driver of a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire made a purchase at the 7-Eleven on East South Boulevard yesterday about 1:20 a.m. before leading a police officer -- who was responding to a call about possible shoplifters -- into a high-speed chase that ended with the Sunfire crashing into several trees about 3 miles away in the 2400 block of Defense Road, police said.

The 19-year-old driver and an 18-yearold passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. A 16-year-old girl who was in the back seat was injured critically and taken to VCU Medical Center, where she remained in critical condition.

Police did not release the victims' names pending notification of family.

Police at first said the vehicle's occupants were the shoplifting suspects, but after officials reviewed footage from surveillance cameras at the 7-Eleven they determined the men were not involved, said Esther Hyatt, a Petersburg police spokeswoman.

While leaving the 7-Eleven parking lot, the driver of the Sunfire almost backed into the officer's patrol car. The officer ordered the driver to pull over, but he kept going, Hyatt said.

The officer kept his distance from the other car and did not engage in a pursuit until 1:25 a.m., four minutes after he began following the Sunfire and two minutes before the crash.

The Sunfire belonged to the driver's mother, Hyatt said.

Yesterday, several city leaders said they expect the police department to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.

Councilman Kenneth Pritchett said it was too early to start drawing conclusions about what happened.

"It is a horrible act. I feel for the families. Who knows whether they [the victims] may have panicked or what," he said. "Hopefully, before the week is over, we will know more about it."

State police Sgt. Thomas Cunningham said members of the state police accident reconstruction team have taken over the investigation of the crash at the request of Petersburg police. But he said Petersburg police will investigate everything that led to the wreck.

Many police departments choose not to engage in high-speed chases unless they see a life-threatening situation, said Petersburg resident Leonard Curry, who with the group Concerned Citizens of Petersburg has promoted crime intervention and safety and has studied the city's crime statistics.

Officials believe the officer involved, who was not identified, followed the department's pursuit policy, Hyatt said. "He did nothing wrong."

Hyatt said the chase at times exceeded 60 mph in a 35-mph zone that has several curves. .

The impact split the Pontiac in two, with pieces of debris, including the engine block, scattered in several directions. It took about an hour for Petersburg rescue crews to remove the girl from the wreckage, Hyatt said.

Contact Luz Lazo at (804) 649-6058 or llazo@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Joe Macenka at (804) 649-6804 or jmacenka@timesdispatch.com.