In the wake of a fatal high-speed chase in Atlanta's Little Five Points neighborhood, advocates are demanding immediate changes to the x pursuit policy. The incident, which occurred on Monday, led to the death of 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke, who was not involved in the chase. The GSP initiated the pursuit after 23-year-old Faduma Mohamedon was spotted driving erratically on Interstate 20. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the chase culminated when Mohamedon ran a red light and collided with Schoenke's vehicle.
Devin Barrington-Ward, the director of communications at the National Police Accountability Project, highlighted the tragedy, stating, "Cooper is never coming home and a mother has to do something that no mother wants to do, which is to bury their own child," as reported by Atlanta News First. Advocates argue that GSP's policy has led to a "growing pattern of deadly, preventable tragedies," pointing to more than 1,900 injuries and 63 deaths in the past five years as a result of pursuits involving the state patrol.
The recent crash has prompted lawmakers and advocates, including state Reps. Park Cannon, Gabriel Sanchez, Eric Bell, Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, and Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs, to call on the GSP to restrict high-speed pursuits only to cases involving violent felonies. They are seeking policy amendments that would require approval before initiating or continuing a chase, particularly in densely populated areas. A press conference is scheduled yesterday at 3:30 p.m. in Little Five Points to address these concerns.
More criticism arises from the use of Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuvers by the GSP. The technique, designed to force a fleeing car to stop, should only be used as a last resort "to safeguard life and preserve public safety" as per GSP policy. Yet, in the statement obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, Devin Barrington-Ward questions why more benign technologies are not being utilized more frequently. "I just don't understand why a high-speed pursuit is the way to effectively end whatever they may seem as a public safety violation by causing more danger to the public," Harrington-Ward said.
The governor's office has weighed in on the issue via a statement from spokesman Garrison Douglas, emphasizing the responsibility of criminals in evading justice and the dedication of law enforcement in community safety. Meanwhile, according to federal data, Georgia's rate of police pursuit-led deaths is one of the country's highest. A staggering 195 people died in police pursuits from 2019 to 2021, with 43 bystanders among them who were not involved in the chases. Advocates are pressuring the GSP to reevaluate its policies and practices in pursuit scenarios, in hopes of preventing future casualties.
