Nearly four years after allegedly running a stop sign and fatally striking a man on a motorized scooter, an Atlanta police officer has been indicted.
A Fulton County grand jury on Tuesday returned a two-count indictment against Officer Ryan Chandler, who has been on administrative duty since the August 2018 crash, authorities said.
Chandler is charged with vehicular homicide and violation of oath in the death of Marvin King, who was riding a 49cc scooter when the officer ran into him at the intersection of Newcastle Street and Washington Place in southwest Atlanta.
Credit: Courtesy Michael Webb
Credit: Courtesy Michael Webb
King, 59, was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died. The Atlanta man was not wearing a helmet that afternoon, according to the Georgia State Patrol, which investigated the wreck.
An Atlanta police spokeswoman confirmed Chandler was placed on administrative duty on Aug. 8, 2018, and has remained in that role since.
“Upon learning of Chandler’s recent indictment, an emergency hearing is being scheduled to determine his employment status,” Officer TaSheena Brown said in an email Thursday afternoon.
Attorney Brian Steel, who represents Chandler, said the former patrol cop was responding to an undercover officer’s call for help when he and King collided in the intersection.
Steel also contends his client never saw the stop sign, which he said was obscured by foliage and placed in the wrong spot. Now, Chandler faces two felonies in addition to the sadness he already feels for unintentionally killing someone, his attorney said.
“Officer Chandler is walking around as a broken man,” said Steel, who noted the officer tried saving King’s life at the scene. “He is devastated.”
Since the wreck, the city has removed the bushes and relocated the stop sign, making it more visible.
“Yet they charged him for running a stop sign that no one could see,” Steel said.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, District Attorney Fani Willis acknowledged the stop sign was “partially obscured,” but she maintains Chandler broke the law behind the wheel of his patrol car.
“He was in a 25 mph zone, he was traveling at almost double what the speed limit is and he killed someone,” Willis said.
Investigators said Chandler, who was 24 at the time, was not using his emergency lights and siren ahead of the crash. The officer’s attorney argues his lights and siren were activated, however.
Chandler is the latest in a sting of current and former Fulton County law enforcement officers to be indicted by Willis’ office. The DA told Channel 2 her team is working through a backlog of more than 100 cases involving officers, some of which date as far back as 2009.
Chandler had not turned himself in as of Thursday afternoon.
About the Author
