Police in Opelika, Alabama, began chasing a man on Friday before the driver led officers into Georgia, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The incident began at 1:20 p.m. ET when Opelika police responded to a domestic violence call on Andrews Road. ALEA said a woman told police she feared for her safety because she was attacked by her child’s father, 39-year-old Justin Scott Roberts.
ALEA said Roberts fled the scene in a Nissan Titan truck and took the child with him. When officers tried to stop him, he refused to stop, leading to a pursuit in Opelika.
“Roberts was wanted for a felony assault on a police officer stemming from a previous incident, and with a juvenile in the vehicle and concerns for their safety, police continued the pursuit along I-85 North,” ALEA said in a release. “The pursuit continued across state lines into Georgia, at which point Opelika police discontinued the pursuit and Alabama and Georgia law enforcement agencies continued the pursuit along I-85 North.”
The Georgia State Patrol joined the pursuit and “successfully executed a PIT maneuver” to stop Roberts’ car, ALEA said. Roberts died from a gunshot wound before police approached his vehicle.
“Deputies and troopers were able to safely remove the child from the vehicle,” ALEA said. “The child does not appear to be injured but is being assessed as a precaution.”
ALEA did not specify where the pursuit took place, but said the Troup County Sheriff’s Office and the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office were also involved in the pursuit.
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