Bystander killed, 3 injured in Georgia State Patrol chase on Memorial Day

A woman was killed and two passengers were hospitalized after a Georgia State Patrol highway chase went awry Monday afternoon in Fulton County.

The incident comes after recent outcry at the state Legislature over another police chase death this year led to renewed debate over culpability in pursuits, and also follows a yearslong Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation into the department’s chase policies.

The driver of the vehicle troopers were chasing on Memorial Day, Fre’shun White, was also injured. White faces charges including first-degree vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle.

According to GSP, the 26-year-old was driving 90 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-20 heading west when a trooper attempted to pull him over. He instead sped up and crossed all four lanes of the interstate before exiting and then “abruptly merging back onto Interstate 20 west, nearly causing a crash,” the agency said.

Another trooper nearby saw White merge “recklessly back into traffic” and took over the chase before White took the Hill Street exit. That’s when officials believe he lost control and crashed into another car parked at a gas station, according to the news release.

The collision killed Chatanna Patterson, 51, who was standing beside the car, and injured two passengers: one in White’s car and the other in the parked car.

“A family is grieving the sudden loss of a loved one, and our thoughts remain with everyone impacted by this tragedy,” Georgia public safety officials said in the news release.

White and the two passengers, whose identities were not released, were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Another recent deadly crash this year that killed Cooper Schoenke ignited debate under the Gold Dome over who should be held accountable for the unintended consequences of police chases.

A recent AJC investigation found Georgia State Patrol’s pursuit tactics and loose chase policy contributed to 1,900 people injured and 66 deaths over a recent five-year period.

The agency was involved in more than 6,700 pursuits over the five-year period ending in 2023, according to the AJC’s analysis. About 3,400 of those chases ended in crashes, with bystanders or passengers often the ones who suffered injuries or death.

GSP’s policy is among the most permissive in the country, the AJC found in a review of 44 pursuit policies from state police agencies across the U.S. It offers troopers almost complete discretion and enables them to justify chasing just about anyone who runs — anywhere and for any reason.