ALEA: 1 dead, 1 injured in high speed chase, crash that involved shots fired
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency now says a high speed chase and crash involving a stolen vehicle ended with one person dead and a second injured in what is being investigated as an officer-involved shooting.
ALEA confirmed that gunfire was exchanged between an occupant in the truck and ALEA troopers. No officers were injured. It’s unclear if the occupants of the truck were injured/killed as a result of the rollover crash or from trooper gunfire. The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation.
ALEA Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a 2018 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck at 2:26 p.m. The truck, driver refused to stop when contact was made on I-65 south at the 185 mile marker. That’s approximately one mile south of the Pine Level exit in north Autauga County.
Burkett said the driver fled from law enforcement, prompting troopers to initiate a pursuit. While fleeing from officers, Burkett said the suspect caused two traffic crashes before eventually crashing and overturning near the 173 mile marker in Montgomery County, near Montgomery’s Northern Boulevard.
Numerous law enforcement officers converged on the scene of the truck as it crashed around 2:38 p.m.
Around 3:20 p.m. one ambulance left the scene with multiple law enforcement vehicles following closely behind.
Prattville Fire Deputy Chief Josh Bingham confirmed that first responders were at the location of two wrecks on I-65, one at the 178 mile marker near Prattville, closing the interstate at Cobbs Ford Road. The other was at mile marker 173. While Bingham was unable to connect the crashes to the chase situation, he did say injuries ranged from serious to critical. The Prattville Police Department, on the other hand, could not confirm information on the crashes but said they were the result of what ALEA troopers were dealing with in Montgomery.
The interstate, initially blocked in both directions, has since fully reopened.
A law enforcement vehicle can be seen pursuing the pickup truck (center of photo) on Interstate 65 near Montgomery's Northern Boulevard. (Source: ALDOT Traffic Camera)
Law enforcement come to a stop near the scene where a suspect vehicle crashed and overturned along I-65 southbound near Montgomery's Northern Boulevard following a high speed chase. (Source: ALDOT Traffic Camera)
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Source: WSFA
