Wednesday, July 31, 2002
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Wednesday, July 31, 2002 |
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Local police blocked road By JOHN MUNFORD The police chase through Peachtree City that led to a fatal crash at the city's easternmost limits Saturday night first toured through The Avenue shopping center at high speeds, according to law enforcement officials. The chase was initiated by two Luthersville police officers, but the chase should not have taken place to begin with, argues Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray. Murray has written a letter petitioning the governor to authorize legislation to keep similar situations from occurring again and to hold police accountable when they do occur. To protect the public, Peachtree City police blocked off intersections of Ga. Highway 54 as the pursuit continued, Murray said. Officers did not have time to deploy "spike sticks" to disable the pursued vehicle, Murray said. But it's unlikely they would have been able to utilize the spikes anyway because of the potential danger to other traffic on the road, Murray said. The Luthersville Police Department is not releasing many details about the incident that sparked the pursuit. In his letter to Governor Roy Barnes, Murray said the Peachtree City Police Department "has one of the most restrictive police chase policies in the state of Georgia." In some cases, deadly police chases can be avoided when the suspect could be arrested at a later time, Murray wrote. "The theory that failure to chase would send the word that you can run from police does not hold water," Murray said in the letter. "That is why police have radios."
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