Driver charged in Atlantic Avenue death of teen passenger
Police said Kashawn Croswell sped through a red light at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, where the city record lists unsafe speed in a two-sedan crash that left 18-year-old passenger Shanti Joyner dead.
What We Know
At about 3:22 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2023, the city crash record logged a two-sedan crash at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street in Brooklyn, with one motorist killed and three injured. Police later identified the passenger who died as 18-year-old Shanti Joyner. News reports citing police said Kashawn Croswell, 25, was driving a Mercedes south on Court Street when he ran a red light at high speed and hit the Honda Accord that Shanti and Iesha Joyner were riding in. Croswell was apprehended after police said he left the scene on foot; later reports said he faced charges including manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene. Police also charged Iesha Joyner with impaired-driving and vehicle-registration offenses. The official injury count and the press accounts differ: the city record lists three injuries, while several articles reported four people hurt.
Police described a red-light crash before dawn
The crash was recorded at 3:22 a.m. on Aug. 18, 2023, at Atlantic Avenue and Court Street in Brooklyn. The city record lists two sedans, one motorist killed and three motorists injured, with unsafe speed recorded as a contributing factor.
News reports citing police said Croswell, 25, drove a Mercedes-Benz south on Court Street, ran a red light and hit the Honda Accord that was traveling on Atlantic Avenue. The Daily News reported that prosecutors said he hit the Honda's front passenger side; witnesses said Croswell was driving very fast.
Reports said the impact sent the Joyner sisters' Honda into a spin; the Daily News and Gothamist reported that the Honda ended up by a tree outside Trader Joe's and fire broke out in the Mercedes.
Shanti Joyner died after the crash
Shanti Joyner, 18, was riding in the front passenger seat of the Honda. First responders took her to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The official record identifies the person who died as an 18-year-old female passenger. News reports later named her as Shanti Joyner and said she and Iesha Joyner were returning home from late-night shifts at a Brooklyn bar.
Iesha Joyner, 32, was reported as the Honda driver; a 29-year-old man was reported in the back seat. AMNY and the Post said those two Honda occupants and a woman riding with Croswell were hospitalized with non-life-threatening or minor injuries. The city crash record counts three injured motorists, while several news reports said four people were hurt.
Police made arrests after the crash
Reports said Croswell left the scene on foot after the crash and police apprehended him nearby. Early stories said charges were pending against him.
Atlantic Avenue has a wider crash record
The crash happened where Atlantic Avenue meets Court Street in Brooklyn, outside the area news reports described near Trader Joe's.
CrashCountNYC's location context for Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn counts 4,096 crashes, 2,408 injuries, 109 serious injuries and 10 deaths from Jan. 1, 2022, through June 1, 2026.
After the crash, Council Member Lincoln Restler told Gothamist it was another preventable tragedy on Atlantic Avenue and urged street-safety changes.