TULSA, OK — Tulsa police have arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with a deadly July crash after detectives said an extensive investigation linked him to the wreck. Officers say the case centers on a crash that killed 27-year-old Anna Allen on East Admiral Boulevard and on evidence showing the vehicle was traveling far above the posted speed limit.
Police identified the suspect as Austin Lane Clapp. Authorities say the arrest came after investigators reviewed camera footage and data from the vehicle itself, building a case that led them to seek charges of second-degree murder and obstructing an officer.
Crash on East Admiral Boulevard killed Anna Allen at the scene
Officers with the Tulsa Police Department responded around 6:15 p.m. on July 12 to a deadly crash in the 8800 block of East Admiral Boulevard. Police say Allen was ejected through the windshield during the collision and died at the scene from her injuries.
The crash happened on a busy stretch of road in east Tulsa, and investigators later worked to reconstruct what occurred in the moments before the vehicle went down. Police have not released additional details about other possible vehicles or what first caused the collision.
Investigators used camera footage and vehicle data to identify the driver
According to detectives, camera footage helped them determine that Clapp was driving when the crash happened. Police also say data from the car’s Event Data Recorder gave them a clearer picture of the vehicle’s speed before impact.
Investigators say that data showed the car was moving 93 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone just before the crash. That level of speed was a major part of the case police developed as they pieced together the circumstances surrounding Allen’s death.
Police say Clapp had a suspended license and was impaired
Officials say Clapp was driving with a suspended license. They also say he was impaired after using central nervous system depressants and cannabis. Those findings became part of the investigation that followed the fatal crash.
Police have not said how they determined the impairment beyond the evidence cited in the case. The department’s account ties the arrest not only to the crash itself, but also to allegations that Clapp was behind the wheel while not legally licensed to drive and while under the influence of substances.
Arrest attempt ended after officers say he tried to flee through a window
On Thursday, officers went to Clapp’s home, but police say he refused to come outside. Instead, according to authorities, he jumped out of a side window and tried to run through thick backyard foliage.
Police say the escape attempt did not work, and Clapp was taken into custody. The department says the arrest followed the days and weeks of investigation that led detectives to connect him to the July wreck and the death of Allen.
Second-degree murder and obstructing charges now follow the investigation
Clapp was arrested on complaints of second-degree murder and obstructing an officer. Police have not announced a court schedule or said whether additional charges could be filed as the case moves forward.
The arrest closes one part of a case that Tulsa investigators describe as extensive, but it does not change the loss at the center of it. Allen’s death on East Admiral Boulevard remains the key outcome that prompted the investigation, and police say the evidence they gathered pointed them to Clapp as the driver.