Two people were killed in a fiery crash on I-75 in Henry County Tuesday that was caused by a police pursuit – and they are just the latest victims of a sobering statistic. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 400 people have been killed in police chases since 2017.
Henry County Police gave chase to a driver in a stolen Mazda on northbound I-75 around 2 a.m. Tuesday. The Mazda exited the freeway then made a U-turn, re-entering the highway in the wrong direction.
The Mazda struck a Ford F-250 head-on and that driver, 38-year-old Kalif B. Patterson of Dalzell, South Carolina, died at the scene. The driver of the stolen Mazda,19-year-old Adolphus D. Knight of Riverdale, died while being taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. A passenger in the Mazda survived and was taken to a hospital, but their identity has not been released.
A bill considered this session in the Georgia Senate (SB 63) would implement a statewide policy on police pursuits, making it illegal for police to chase drivers unless they believe the suspect is involved in a serious crime – such as murder, armed robbery or kidnapping.
In 2015, the International Association of Chiefs of Police wrote a model policy regarding chase pursuits that many departments have adopted. The policy indicates that officers should only chase someone who presents a clear and present danger or could cause serious harm if they run. But, not every department follows this.
All officers are expected to make a reasonable effort to apprehend violators who flee or attempt to elude police – that’s how the Henry County Police Department pursuit policy starts off. But, underlined further down in the policy, it states that “it must be understood that every violator will not be apprehended.”
In some situations, the policy indicates that the most reasonable decision is to end the chase to protect the safety of officers and the public.
In comparison, the Atlanta Police Department pursuit policy indicates that a fleeing suspect must meet one of three standards to lend chase.
- The suspect possesses a deadly weapon or any object that could cause serious bodily injury
- When an officer reasonably believes that the suspect poses an immediate threat of physical violence to the officer
- When there is probable cause to believe that the suspect has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm.
Last November, South Fulton Police came under scrutiny for its chase policy, after an officer struck a van while chasing a stolen car, killing three innocent people.
Sixteen days later, the department implemented a new pursuit policy, banning officers from chasing stolen cars unless they’re suspected of a forcible felony.
Orlando, Florida has a unique approach: it’s long-standing policy forbids chasing misdemeanor suspects. Its policy states that officers can only engage in a pursuit if they have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect has committed or is about to commit a violent felony crime.
While the official number of Americans killed in pursuit crashes is striking, USA Today reported that those figures under-represent the actual death toll, because the agency uses police reports to document deaths – and some police reports don’t disclose whether a chase occurred.
SB 63 has been moved to the Public Safety Commission for further review.
A previous version of this story identified GSP as being involved in the chase. That information has been corrected.