Angie Townsend spent 23 years in the Bartow County School System as a teacher’s assistant, but many of her students knew her by another name.
To scores of children, she was affectionately called “mom,” the school system said. Others called her their “special friend.”
Townsend, 55, was killed Saturday morning when a Georgia State Patrol chase entered downtown Adairsville. A suspect in a Mini Cooper ran a red light at the intersection of Ga. 3 and Ga. 140 and slammed into the side of Townsend’s Buick, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Christopher Tyler Parker of Blountsville, Alabama, was arrested at the scene. The Mini Cooper he was driving was stolen from his grandmother, according to the GSP.
Credit: Bartow County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Bartow County Sheriff's Office
The chase began about 9:15 a.m. when troopers tried to stop the Mini Cooper, which they clocked going 95 mph on I-75 in Gordon County, the state agency said in a statement. Parker allegedly refused to stop and continued south.
He exited the interstate at Union Grove Road before continuing south on Ga. 3 at a high rate of speed, the GSP said. After the collision at Ga. 140, Townsend’s car was sent into the back of a Dodge pickup truck, causing minor injuries to the truck’s driver.
Townsend spent all but two years of her decades-long career at White Elementary School as a paraprofessional in special needs and kindergarten classrooms, the Bartow County School System said. She was most recently a pre-K paraprofessional and an after-school teacher.
“Mrs. Townsend was such an amazing part of the White Elementary family,” Principal Amy Heater said in a statement. “She was truly a devoted staff member who put the needs of our children before her very own. She always had an amazing smile, sense of humor, and a determined, unbreakable spirit. She is going to be missed dearly. We would like the community to keep our school and Mrs. Townsend’s family in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
A school-led tribute is scheduled for Monday in Townsend’s honor.
Parker is facing a charge of vehicular homicide as well as charges of fleeing and attempting to elude, receiving stolen property and bringing stolen property across state lines.
RELATED: 'It rips your heart out': Woman hit, killed by suspect driving stolen car
Police chases have become a contentious issue in metro Atlanta, where the Atlanta Police Department announced earlier this year that it would reevaluate its pursuit policy. In the interim, Chief Erika Shields said that that officers would no longer chase vehicles and rely on the GSP to pursue in city limits.
The chief cited a string of crashes that left innocent motorists dead among her reasons for the decision.
ALSO: Atlanta police chief halts all vehicle chases
Her DeKalb County counterpart announced this week that the police department will also review its chase policy, though no decisions have been made yet.
MORE: DeKalb County plans to review police chase policy
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
