Did trooper follow the rules in chase that ended with fiery crash?

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A newly released dashcam video shows what happened when a Georgia State Patrol trooper pursued a speeder and ultimately crashed into the entrance sign at News 12, where the patrol car went up in flames.

No suspect was ever caught in the late Dec. 9 pursuit that began on Washington Road after the trooper took off after a Mustang was traveling 81 mph in a 45 mph zone.

The trooper tried to make a U-turn, but was stopped by another car.

By the time he was able to turn, the Mustang was already out of sight.

From Washington Road, the chase went north on Alexander Drive, with the trooper picking up speed.

He weaved around several cars, then barrelled through a red light at a known busy intersection, Riverwatch Parkway, where Alexander becomes Cabela Drive.

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After traveling past Riverwatch, the GSP vehicle “began to yaw” for 82 feet before striking a concrete median near the News 12 driveway, according to an accident report.

The patrol car then traveled 88 feet farther, striking the west curb and then leaving the roadway, hitting the stop sign at the News 12 entrance and then ultimately slamming into the station’s stone sign that features an animated display. There, the car came “to an uncontrolled rest facing west.”

The vehicle burst into flames, destroying the car and damaging the sign. The car and sign were heavily damaged, but injuries to the trooper, Tyler Crowe, were minor.

He was able to get out and call for help.

“All good. All good. I’m up walking,” the video records him saying. “I have a nosebleed. Car’s totaled.”

This diagram with the accident report shows the car’s rough trajectory.

Weighing the risks

The Georgia State Patrol’s current pursuit policy is discretionary and mostly lets troopers decide when to launch a high-speed chase.

Georgia law says officers should consider several factors when pursuing a chase, including the nature of the offense committed by the suspect and the potential danger to the public if the suspect is not immediately apprehended.

GSP doesn’t limit pursuits to violent crimes.

In the safety policy manual’s general pursuit procedures, the law permits troopers to speed and disregard traffic signals only if the officer exercises due regard for the safety of all people.

In the dashcam video, Crowe appears to blow through a red light while losing control of his vehicle.

The manual also says a pursuit should be terminated if the officer feels the risk outweighs the danger of the suspect escaping.

And officers should stop the chase if the vehicle’s location is no longer definitely known.

A report recently released by the federal government strongly urges law enforcement agencies to reduce high-speed chases.

The U.S. Department of Justice report suggests pursuits should only take place when an officer is aware a violent crime has been committed or when the suspect poses an imminent threat to commit another violent crime.

According to annual reports produced by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, which oversees GSP, pursuits have increased over the past five years. That includes at least 1,673 GSP pursuits last year alone.

And according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, pursuits that turned deadly increased 41% from 2001 to 2021.

During that period, 8,203 people died; 493 of those were from Georgia. Of those killed nationally, about 36% were innocent bystanders.

According to the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, Crowe received four hours of training last year in “pursuit liability and due regard.”

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