Pursuit Ends After Suspect Hits Spike Strips in Tuscaloosa, Officer Uninjured in Crash
A large-scale police pursuit ended near downtown Tuscaloosa Tuesday night after a suspect who was allegedly fleeing a traffic stop drove over spike strips and was arrested.
Stephanie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said officers attempted to pull a vehicle over in the 700 block of Skyland Boulevard around 9:37 p.m. Tuesday.
The driver, 34-year-old Michael Jordan, reportedly refused to stop and led officers on a chase that sped down I-359 North towards the downtown area before taking the 15th Street ramp and heading east on Greensboro Avenue.
TPD deployed a spike strip at Greensboro and 12th Street, and the suspect drove over the device, disabling his tires.
Jordan was arrested without further incident at 9:48, about 10 minutes after the chase began and charged with four crimes related to drugs on his person and the pursuit.
An investigator with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force also crashed an unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe during the chase.
Taylor said the drug agent attempted to pull around another officer's patrol vehicle when they crashed into a power pole on Dinah Washington Avenue not far from Central Elementary School.
Taylor said the investigator was not injured in the collision.
Jordan, the suspect, was formally charged with possession of a controlled substance, second-degree possession of marijuana, resisting arrest and attempting to elude police.
The four charges carry a combined $25,000 bond. Jordan was placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where he remained Wednesday morning.