BATON ROUGE - The capital region troop of Louisiana State Police responded to three fatal crashes that left four people dead overnight Wednesday and early Thursday.

Troopers said that within six hours they were called to the three crashes. 

The first of the three stemmed from a police pursuit out of St. Gabriel. The two people in the fleeing vehicle, Jeremiah Downing and Hunter LaGrange, allegedly ran a red light during the pursuit and died from their injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was also seriously injured. 

The second of the three crashes happened shortly after 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. Demaricus Kensie of Donaldsonville was driving along LA-70 in St. James Parish when his vehicle overturned, ejecting him from the driver's seat. Kensie died from his injuries on the scene and a juvenile passenger in the vehicle was also injured. 

Finally, just before 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, troopers responded to a crash on I-10 westbound near the LA-928 overpass in Ascension Parish. Dwayne Jackson, 41, of New Orleans, was driving in the right lane when a freightliner attempted to reenter the roadway from the shoulder. Jackson struck the back of the freightliner and was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. 

"Troopers wish to remind motorists to always make responsible choices when driving: avoid impairment, fatigue, and distractions. Follow traffic laws and ensure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained. While not all crashes are preventable, simple precautions like these can save lives," state police said in a release detailing the crashes. 

Additionally, another crash happened overnight in St. Francisville that did not involve Louisiana State Police. A pedestrian was struck and killed while walking along a highway early Thursday morning. Another unrelated crash killed an 80-year-old man and injured his wife in West Baton Rouge Parish.