A Tennessee Highway Patrol chase through Memphis ended earlier this month with a state trooper's suspect slamming into a car driven by Reggie Pederson, a local photographer with no connection to the pursuit, killing him. The driver, Donell Alford, was free on $250,000 bond at the time — out on release stemming from a separate police chase just weeks earlier, according to court records.
The crash happened on August 2 at Airways Boulevard, according to Action News 5. A trooper reported clocking Alford traveling nearly 90 mph in a 40 mph zone before he ran a red light at Airways Boulevard and Park Avenue, ignored additional red lights, and crossed into oncoming traffic while continuing at a speed too fast for road conditions. The trooper caught up to Alford at Airways Boulevard and Ketchum Road, where Alford crashed into Pederson's car.
Pederson had no involvement in the chase. A 6-year-old child riding with Alford at the time of the crash suffered a traumatic head injury and bit through his tongue, and was rushed to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Alford is currently being held in the prison ward at the hospital, the station reports.
A Photographer Who Documented Memphis Music
Pederson worked under the name R2C Visuals and was the official photographer for the Memphis Songwriters Association's 2026 Showcase, as well as the primary photographer for regional acts including Elevation Memphis, according to the Memphis Songwriters Association. He documented showcase events at venues like Lafayette's Music Room and worked closely with local musicians throughout the Memphis live scene.
Joel Rose, who knew Pederson through the photography community, said he did not know a chase had led to the crash that killed him. Rose described Pederson as an encouraging voice among local photographers and called his work magical, noting that Pederson spent his time capturing artists, music events, and people. Rose told the station the crash highlighted the danger of chases on crowded city streets.
Out on Bond From an Earlier Pursuit
Court records show Alford was out on bond for a separate police chase at the time of the deadly crash. On July 4, Memphis Police Department officers attempted a traffic stop on Alford over an allegation of vehicle theft, and he drove away from officers instead of stopping. State troopers pursued him, and he was located roughly 30 minutes later. Alford posted bond and was released from jail six days after that arrest, on July 10 — less than a month before the fatal Airways Boulevard crash.
Alford was previously named to the Memphis Most Wanted list in June 2024 by CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County, which listed an active warrant against him for aggravated assault at the time.
Why State Troopers, Not Memphis Police
The involvement of a state trooper rather than Memphis police in a fatal urban chase is not incidental. The Memphis Police Department restricts vehicle pursuits to cases where officers have probable cause that an occupant committed a violent felony, while the Tennessee Highway Patrol operates under a far more permissive chase policy, according to the Institute for Public Service Reporting. That gap accounted for 88 percent of pursuits — 66 of 75 — recorded during a five-week Memphis task force operation late last year, with 43 percent of those chases ending in crashes, even as MPD averaged roughly 144 pursuits a year overall.
State officials with the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security denied public records requests in February for THP's written pursuit policy, maintaining the guidelines are confidential under state law, the same investigative outlet reported. Open-government advocates have argued that chase policies govern high-risk public activity and should be subject to public review.
This is not the first THP pursuit to originate at Airways Boulevard and Park Avenue in recent weeks. Just days before the fatal crash, a THP trooper attempted a traffic stop at that same intersection against a high-speed Corvette driver who fled, as Hoodline reported at the time. A separate stolen-vehicle chase along the same corridor in January 2025 also ended in a two-car collision and injuries, prompting former local officials to question whether high-speed pursuits belong in high-traffic zones for non-life-threatening property crimes.
What Alford Could Face
Under Tennessee Code § 39-13-213, vehicular homicide resulting from reckless driving that creates a substantial risk of death or serious injury is a Class C felony, punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison and fines up to $10,000, according to Justia Law. That charge does not require proof of intoxication, only a conscious disregard of substantial risk. Separately, fleeing law enforcement in a vehicle is normally a Class E felony carrying 1 to 6 years, but escalates to a Class D felony with 2 to 12 years and a mandatory 60-day minimum if the flight creates a risk of death or injury to others.
Tennessee lawmakers have also tightened pretrial release rules for cases like this one. In April, the state enacted HB33/SB218, sponsored by Shelby County legislators, establishing that defendants charged with firearm-involved offenses or crimes resulting in serious injury or death are unlikely to be granted release on personal recognizance, according to MLK50. A 2024 state law had already eliminated the requirement that Shelby County judicial commissioners weigh a defendant's ability to pay when setting bail, per Just City, shifting the focus toward public safety and flight risk instead.
