Tuscaloosa Man Dead Following Police Chase
A 20-year-old Tuscaloosa man is dead after allegedly shooting himself while fleeing from police late Monday night.
It began with a traffic stop shortly before midnight.
It ended with first responders rushing the driver to the hospital.
Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said Tuscaloosa Police pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation at about 11:45 p.m.
Officers noticed a smell that they believed was illegal drugs. They asked him to step out of the vehicle, and that is when he sped off, Kennedy said.
The chase was through Tuscaloosa, onto I-20 southbound, and into Greene County. Deputies with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office and Alabama State Troopers assisted the officers during the pursuit, and speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour.
The driver kept going for miles even after spike strips were used. Finally, the driver crashed into a wooded area, and officers found the driver seriously hurt. The driver was taken to the hospital but did not survive.
"It was determined from the initial medical examination, as well as physical evidence on scene, that the suspect had a gunshot injury to his head. A loaded firearm was found inside the vehicle," Kennedy said. "Additionally, a family member was located who reported that the suspect had called him during the pursuit and stated that he was running from the police, had just gotten out of jail and would not go back and was going to kill himself, followed by what the family member believed to be a gunshot. At no time during this incident was any officer captured on video pointing a firearm at the suspect, and no shots were fired by law enforcement at any time."
The VCU identified the deceased driver as 20-year-old Elyis Kani Taylor of Tuscaloosa.
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