An Alabama man's flight from law enforcement ended in tragedy last Friday when he took his own life after being forced to a stop in Georgia, with his 3-month-old child unharmed beside him. Fox5 Atlanta reported that the ordeal began with 39-year-old Justin Scott Roberts fleeing a domestic dispute in Opelika, Alabama, and led police officers on a chase after refusing to stop his black Nissan Titan truck.
Roberts' pursuit continued across state lines, and once in Georgia, the Georgia State Patrol and Troup County deputies got involved, performing a PIT maneuver on Highway 27 at the intersection with Interstate 85 that brought the truck to a halt, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now scrutinizing the multi-state chase which terminated in Troup County and confirmed that no officers were injured during the incident; the infant was assessed by paramedics on the scene and found to be uninjured as well.
Before law enforcement could get to him, within that stationary black Nissan Titan, Roberts died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as detailed by Fox5 Atlanta. The unnerving drama that folded into itself a narrative of domestic terror culminated as a father turned the weapon inward before a law's deliberate reach could offer a different ending, or perhaps another beginning.
Al.com added depth to Robert's history, citing court records that revealed a past marked by arrests for domestic violence and assault; indeed, Roberts was already wanted for felony assault on a police officer from a previous encounter, the suspect's actions, born from a domestic violence call, transcended jurisdictional lines as they spurred a relentless pursuit for the sake of a 3-month-old child's safety, a pursuit that officers from multiple agencies joined until the end came abruptly and irrevocably. The ongoing investigation by the GBI will eventually settle into the hands of the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for further review.
A PIT maneuver by the Georgia State Patrol brought the pursuit to an end. The chase began after the child’s mother contacted Opelika police to report concerns for her infant’s safety involving Justin Scott Roberts. Authorities later confirmed that the child was not harmed., according to a statement in Al.com.
