Atlanta police said Thursday it has determined that an officer was not chasing a stolen vehicle when it smashed into a woman’s car and killed her on New Year’s Eve.
The deadly crash happened moments after the driver ran a red light in a stolen Dodge Charger.
According to a statement from public affairs director Carlos Campos, an officer in a marked patrol car moved behind the vehicle just before it sped off, but did not chase it.
“Our initial investigation has found no video evidence, nor received any witness statements, that the officer was involved in a chase of the Dodge Charger, or had activated the blue lights or siren on his patrol car to indicate he was attempting to pursue the vehicle,” Campos said.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Travania Allen, 55, was killed when the muscle car slammed into her Toyota Corolla on Tuesday morning, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Allen was driving across the intersection of Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway about 9 a.m. when the driver of the stolen Dodge T-boned her vehicle.
The GSP initially said an Atlanta officer was chasing the stolen car before the crash.
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Campos said the officer had been traveling south on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard when he saw “what he believed to be an orange Dodge Charger stolen out of DeKalb County ... for which a lookout had been issued.”
The Dodge was heading in the opposite direction and passed the officer, Campos said. He said the officer made a U-turn to get behind the car and determine if it had been stolen.
“The Charger — which was, in fact, the stolen vehicle out of DeKalb County — quickly sped away from the officer and got into the fatal collision,” Campos said.
Allen was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
After the collision, the driver and a passenger got out of the stolen Charger and ran away, police said. Neither has been caught.
Both vehicles had extensive damage, and most of the Toyota’s airbags were deployed.
Most police departments have protocols in place to determine when officers can pursue a vehicle and when it’s best to let them go for the safety of other motorists.
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