TROY, Ala. (AP) — A series of police pursuits have led to at least eight deaths around the country in less than a week amid ongoing calls from some law enforcement experts to curb risky high-speed car chases.
In Texas, a man fleeing from police died Sunday. In Alabama, four people died when a car being pursued by a state trooper went off a road and hit a tree Friday. And in California, three people were killed in vehicle crashes during police pursuits in separate incidents last week.
The deadly incidents are among the hundreds of fatalities that occur during police chases each year.
In 2023, a report from the Police Executive Research Forum, a national think tank on policing standards, called for police to put the brakes on car chases unless a violent crime has been committed and the suspect poses an imminent threat. The report noted a spike in fatalities and an increase in pursuits by some departments, including in Houston and New York City.
In the case in Alabama, a driver was attempting to evade the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s highway patrol on a rural road when the crash occurred. The driver and two passengers, one of whom was a 17-year-old, were not wearing seat belts and were thrown from the sedan. All four in the car were pronounced dead at the scene.
In Fort Worth, Texas, police were chasing a car driving without headlights when it collided with multiple vehicles, killing the driver. Similarly, in Southern California, a domestic violence suspect fleeing from police crashed into another vehicle, killing a couple who were about to become parents. Moreover, a stolen U-Haul truck pursued by deputies ended in a wreck that seriously injured three passengers in an SUV.
The crashes underscore the urgent need for policy discussions on high-speed pursuits to prevent further tragedies and enhance community safety.
