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Innocent 17 year old dead, 5 hospitalized after a police chase ended in wreck in North AL

Posted on 9/8/25 at 3:34 pm
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
71058 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 3:34 pm
WAFF

quote:

HARTSELLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Hartselle Police say six people were taken to nearby hospitals after a chase involving the Priceville Police Department ended with a violent crash in their city on Saturday.

Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn confirmed on Sunday that a 17-year-old in the crash has died, and another person is in critical condition at UAB Hospital.

It all started with a chase initiated by Priceville police Saturday night on I-65 near the 329-mile marker. Within 60 seconds, the chase was off the interstate and on Main Street in Hartselle, where police say the car almost wrecked twice.


quote:

The uncle of one of the victims says four teenagers were in one of the cars that was hit by the suspect.

Witnesses said the suspect crashed into a ditch after colliding with another vehicle.

That other car was launched through the intersection.


quote:

A few people who were at the scene in the aftermath told WAFF 48 that they heard what sounded like an explosion.

Once they found out what happened, they said they couldn’t believe a pursuit came into that part of the city.


This one is going to be problematic. This was one small town jurisdiction chasing a suspect into a slightly bigger small town jurisdiction. And what those people said is correct, that is an absolutely terrible area to chase someone at high speeds. It is a typical old, downtown area. It just a sad story all the way around.

Update:

quote:

UPDATE (9/9) - A trusted source has told FOX54 the Priceville police officer involved in the chase is Officer Garry Chapman. He remains on paid administrative leave during the investigation.

According to his social media posts, Chapman is son of Dog the Bounty Hunter, aka Duane Chapman.

That's a detail few probably expected.

This post was edited on 9/9/25 at 8:43 pm
Posted by cubsfan5150
NWA
Member since Nov 2007
17741 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 3:36 pm to
Hopefully the perp is charged with first degree murder.
Posted by bulletprooftiger
Member since Aug 2006
2385 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 3:46 pm to
And charged as an adult.

I get the rationale behind the policy against engaging in police chases over property crime. Chases put innocent people in danger. I don't like it, but I get it.

The solution is to sentence these thugs harshly when they are caught. No innocents are put in danger by jailing criminals.
Posted by dnm3305
Member since Feb 2009
15767 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 3:52 pm to
quote:

The solution is to sentence these thugs harshly when they are caught


And there lies the rub. There is no such thing as justice in modern America.
Posted by SemperFiDawg
Member since Sep 2014
3996 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 4:07 pm to
The solution is to kill the perp either before or after the stop. Do that a couple of times and this stops overnight.
Posted by novabill
Crossville, TN
Member since Sep 2005
10721 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 5:36 pm to
quote:

This one is going to be problematic. This was one small town jurisdiction chasing a suspect into a slightly bigger small town jurisdiction. And what those people said is correct, that is an absolutely terrible area to chase someone at high speeds. It is a typical old, downtown area. It just a sad story all the way around.


How about avoiding high-speed chases when not essential? Get close enough to get the license plate and pick them up later. This prevents putting innocents in harm's way for a speeding ticket or similar offense.

I get that sometimes it is a violent felon that needs to be stopped, but apart from that, these high-speed pursuits do not make sense.
Posted by Odysseus32
Member since Dec 2009
9605 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 5:42 pm to
quote:

How about avoiding high-speed chases when not essential? Get close enough to get the license plate and pick them up later. This prevents putting innocents in harm's way for a speeding ticket or similar offense.


Completely anecdotal, but have you ever met someone who is willing to participate in a high speed chase? I grew up with family who ran from the law, and if they had chosen to do so in a car, that license plate isn't giving anything aside from a shared family home where nobody is going to say anything about who was driving.

Criminals aren't typically ones to ensure that their paperwork is up to date.
Posted by Coach72
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2009
1671 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 5:46 pm to
LEO's should absolutely be able to mag dump if you run - have to change the flee mentality of the modern POS.
Posted by SallysHuman
Lady Palmetto Bug
Member since Jan 2025
12618 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 5:48 pm to
quote:

Get close enough to get the license plate and pick them up later.


How's that work with a stolen car and/or plate?
Posted by Lakeboy7
New Orleans
Member since Jul 2011
27950 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 5:52 pm to
quote:

that license plate isn't giving anything aside from a shared family home where nobody is going to say anything about who was driving.




Right. Duke boys got em again.

Are you from Appalachia?
Posted by TigerintheNO
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2004
43962 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 6:00 pm to
quote:

I get the rationale behind the policy against engaging in police chases over property crime


Wasn't a property crime, it was a DUI stop.
Posted by deltadummy
Member since Mar 2025
1336 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 6:20 pm to
quote:

And charged as an adult.

I get the rationale behind the policy against engaging in police chases over property crime. Chases put innocent people in danger. I don't like it, but I get it.

The solution is to sentence these thugs harshly when they are caught. No innocents are put in danger by jailing criminals.


The state passed some kind of "punishment" law against evading a couple of years ago (or made whatever law was on the books something approaching punishment). It'd be great to punish people once they are caught up with later at their residence/work/etc, and punish them harshly. Most of these attempts are valid reasons to pull someone over. But how much damage would a Brookside do with this before someone finds out about it and stops it?
Posted by chryso
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2008
13498 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 6:24 pm to
quote:

Get close enough to get the license plate and pick them up later

It's a stolen car, genius.
Posted by bulletprooftiger
Member since Aug 2006
2385 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:06 pm to
Now hold on. I said property crime and the response was “it was dwi.” Now someone points out to just get a license plate for a dwi with flight and we are told it was a property crime.

In either case the surveillance state we live in has the capability of capturing images of the car, license plate, and driver.




Posted by N2cars
Close by
Member since Feb 2008
37867 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:16 pm to
I can't believe this board is so stupid as to give you 12 downvotes; your post was spot on, and policies have been adopted in intelligent jurisdictions to reflect exactly that.
Posted by AUbagman
LA
Member since Jun 2014
11144 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:19 pm to
quote:

Chases put innocent people in danger. I don't like it, but I get it.


A life isn’t worth “winning”. Let’s admit it, cops love chasing. Someone’s stolen car can be replaced.
Posted by novabill
Crossville, TN
Member since Sep 2005
10721 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:20 pm to
quote:

Completely anecdotal, but have you ever met someone who is willing to participate in a high speed chase? I grew up with family who ran from the law, and if they had chosen to do so in a car, that license plate isn't giving anything aside from a shared family home where nobody is going to say anything about who was driving.


Is the crime in question worth risking the life of my family?

No doubt the criminal is at fault but I don't expect more from them but I do expect more from public servants.

When is getting your man worth the risk this poses?
Posted by Odysseus32
Member since Dec 2009
9605 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:40 pm to
The two aren't mutually exclusive.

I agree they should not be chasing people in an area like that.

I'm just saying that the reasoning being "just get the plate" is naive.

Most lower class/lower-middle class folks have something illegal with their cars at all times. Registration off, address wrong, insurance lapse, etc. To think that someone with the propensity to prompt a car chase is going to have a license plate that leads anywhere other than a dead end is naive.
Posted by N2cars
Close by
Member since Feb 2008
37867 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 7:43 pm to
Easy to track all that...

But it takes more intelligence than just flooring it...
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
71058 posts
Posted on 9/8/25 at 8:17 pm to
This is the road he was chased down.


The wreck happened at the intersection of Hwy 36/Main St. and US 31.



I'm assuming he blew through the intersection and hit someone crossing in front of him.

I'm in that area once or twice a week, pretty much every week. Carrying speed through that stretch from the exit off of 65 to 31 is usually impossible due to traffic and a speed limit around 35 or 40mph.
This post was edited on 9/8/25 at 8:18 pm
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