Witnesses describe multi-agency pursuit: 'It seemed like something out of Grand Theft Auto'

Apr. 16—Multiple law enforcement agencies chased a Tennessee driver from Hartselle to Decatur and back Sunday morning in a 40-plus-minute pursuit that began with a traffic violation, reached almost 40 mph over the speed limit, and ended with damaged pursuit vehicles and the driver's arrest, according to the Morgan County Sheriff's Office and Hartselle Police Department.

Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Longfellow Stone, of Brentwood, is charged with felony attempt to elude and on Monday remained in Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond, jail records show. Stone's bond was elevated "due to multiple traffic violations, multiple police vehicles damaged, and drugs located in the vehicle," according to Hartselle PD.

Falkville resident Alyssa Mcnutt said she was pumping gas at the Mr. Quick Store on U.S. 31 when around six law enforcement vehicles in pursuit "flew" by.

"It seemed like something out of Grand Theft Auto came through," she said. "I don't ever see anything like that."

The pursuit began at around 9:37 a.m. when Hartselle police Officer Joseph Harris tried to stop a blue BMW for an improper lane change near U.S. 31 and Teague Road Northwest, according to the officer's signed affidavit.

Hartselle police Lt. Alan McDearmond said Stone's driving was "consistent with someone under the influence, such as driving across lanes of traffic and varied speeds."

At around 9:50 a.m., Hartselle resident Bo Cowart said he saw a blue compact car pursued by three Hartselle police vehicles and two MCSO vehicles near Forest Chapel Road and Iron Man Road. He was on his way to church with his wife.

"I kind of swerved over to the median, and he's running probably 25 miles per hour, maybe, not really speeding," he said. "Then he runs a stop sign and kind of swerved over like he's going to run into me, so I swerved over some more."

Cowart said his wife noticed that the car had out-of-state tags.

"I couldn't really get a good look at him, except I looked over and all I seen was long hair."

McDearmond said although Stone's speed varied throughout the chase depending on the location, Stone's vehicle at times reached 40 mph above the posted speed limit.

"Stone began to drive all over the roadway and would take up all lanes of traffic," the affidavit reads. "Stone began to drive at 87 miles per hour in a posted 55 miles per hour in the area of U.S. 31 and Peach Orchard Road Northwest."

From Hartselle, Stone allegedly fled to Decatur and tried to hit a Decatur police vehicle, according to MCSO. MCSO said deputies joined in the pursuit as Stone drove back toward Hartselle and Falkville.

"The subject also went through the yards and fences of private property," said MCSO spokesman Mike Swafford. He said other agencies tried unsuccessfully to use spike strips. "One MCSO vehicle caught a spike with its right front tire after the suspect vehicle avoided the spikes."

After the chase passed by the Mr. Quick Store, Mcnutt said she heard the spike strip attempts on her police scanner.

"We had to go to Hartselle, so we ended up seeing that (deputy) on the side of the road with a flat tire," she said.

In addition to Hartselle PD, Decatur PD and MCSO, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Priceville and Falkville police departments assisted in the pursuit.

"We only had one officer involved in it, and he was just assisting, he wasn't the primary," said Falkville's assistant police chief Levi George.

The chase ended after Stone crashed east of Hartselle on Perkins Wood Road just before 10:30 a.m., according to MCSO. McDearmond said marijuana was found in Stone's vehicle.

"He (Stone) will now face numerous charges from multiple agencies," MCSO said in a statement. "Additional charges are likely."

Hartselle PD and MCSO on Monday had not yet worked out a price estimate on their damaged vehicles. They said no one was injured in the chase.

Until last year, the maximum penalty for fleeing law enforcement in Alabama was a Class A misdemeanor. Changes to the state law in September made attempting to elude a Class C felony if, while fleeing, the offender strikes another vehicle or pedestrian or causes physical injury to any other person. Offenders who flee in excess of 20 mph over the speed limit or cause "serious" physical injury are subject to a Class B felony.

Court records available Monday show Stone was charged with a Class C felony.

Amid hundreds of deaths caused by police chases in the U.S. each year, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, studied police pursuits and issued guidance in September.

"This guide recommends adopting a standard that permits pursuits only for violent crimes and where failure to immediately apprehend the suspect presents an imminent threat to the public," it reads.

The guide acknowledges that there may be rare, exceptional situations for reckless drivers, but that decision-making should consider whether a chase would make the situation better or worse: "For example, if a suspect begins driving more recklessly after police intervention, it is important to discontinue the pursuit."

PERF also recommends agencies educate their communities about pursuits and communicate how they will balance the risks: "Agencies should make their vehicle pursuit policies available to the public by posting them online, providing as much information as possible."

Except for Decatur PD, who said they were barely involved in Sunday's chase, pursuit policies for the other involved agencies were not readily available online.

George said Falkville officers don't pursue motorcycles and take traffic into consideration when pursuing other vehicles — if it's too congested, they terminate the pursuit.

"Basically, it just depends on the circumstances and what all is involved in determining how far we'll go in pursuit of a suspect," he said.

McDearmond previously told The Daily that Hartselle officers value public safety and consider all circumstances when deciding whether to initiate or continue a pursuit.

MCSO's pursuit policy was not readily available at the time of publication.

"Afterward I was like, dang, they were going so fast," Mcnutt said. "Especially when they reached Hartselle — back on Main Street it's so crowded and there's so many lights. I definitely feel like an accident could have happened and somebody could have got hurt.

"If they chase and pursue, people can get hurt, but if they don't, someone else could get hurt, too. To me it kind of seemed like a lose-lose situation."

— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.