Four Hawaii police officers have been charged for their involvement in a September, 2021 car crash on the island of Oahu that injured six people, two of them severely.
According to Courthouse News Service, the prosecutor overseeing the case filed felony charges against the officers. Officials say the officers chased down a vehicle without using their squad cars’ lights or sirens, ran the vehicle off the road, causing it to crash, and then left without helping.
Based on indictment papers, the four officers responded to a noise complaint at a beach park around 3:30 a.m. The officers followed a white sedan out form the park onto a highway, where they pursued the car at high speeds without activating their sirens or blue lights at any time as required by law.
The vehicle later crashed on the side of the road and five of the six occupants were ejected. All six of the occupants sustained some level of injury. The driver sustained a traumatic brain injury and a 14-year-old passenger was paralyzed from the waist down.
After the crash, rather than staying on the scene to assist the injured occupants, officers drove to a nearby parking lot where they conspired to create fake reports that portrayed the crash as a single car incident. The officers then returned to the cash site after dispatch notified them there had been a massive car collision. The officers later submitted false reports about the incident that merely indicated they had responded to the event, without acknowledging their presence during the crash.
In a statement to media, the officers’ police chief stated, “Three of the officers had their police powers removed following the crash, and the fourth officer’s police powers will also be restricted. Along with the collision investigation, an internal administrative investigation was initiated and remains open.
This is an extreme example of police misconduct in a police chase. Here are a few things you should know if an officer attempts to pull you over.
When can Mississippi Police Officers Pull You Over?
A police officer can initiate a traffic stop if the officer has probable cause to believe the driver has committed an infraction. This can be as simple as the driver failing to maintain their lane on a roadway.
What happens when you don’t pull over?
Under Mississippi law, the driver of a motor vehicle who is given a visible or audible signal by a law enforcement officer by hand, voice, emergency light or siren directing the driver to bring his motor vehicle to a stop when such signal is given by a law enforcement officer acting in the lawful performance of duty who has a reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver in question has committed a crime, and who willfully fails to obey such direction shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine of up to One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or jail time of up to six (6) months, or both.
Additionally, anyone who flees from police in a manner that indicates reckless or willful disregard for the safety of others will be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction, will be subject to a fine of up to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or jail time of up to five (5) years, or both.
Even worse, someone who is guilty of fleeing and seriously injures or kills someone in the process of fleeing could face up to forty (40) years in prison.
What should you do if you are faced with a fleeing and evading charge?
As the Hawaii case and Mississippi law indicate, the consequences of fleeing police can be severe. Time and expense fighting a case like this should not be left to just any lawyer, and there are not many attorneys who have the proper experience to take on such a case. If you or someone you know has been charged with misdemeanor or felony fleeing in Mississippi, you need the help of an experienced, qualified attorney who will fight your case from start to finish. You need the help of Vic Carmody Jr., P.A.No matter the circumstances of your case, the sooner you get in touch with one of our well qualified attorneys, the better the chance that we will be able to fight your case for the best possible outcome.
Over the years Vic Carmody Jr. has become a champion of criminal defense in Mississippi. Vic Carmody Jr. has been fighting for the people of Mississippi for over 43 years, and his reputation reflects why he is a top choice attorney for citizens across the Magnolia State.
The attorneys at Vic Carmody, Jr. P.A. know how to fight these cases in Mississippi, and we have a team of experts ready to help.
To take the first step in fighting your case, give us a call for a free consultation at (601) 948-4444, option 1, or send us an email at vic@mississippi-lawyers.com.
If you’d like to learn more about Vic Carmody Jr., P.A. and our robust practice areas, please visit our website at www.mississippi-lawyers.com and view our client success stories on www.avvo.com, www.superlawyers.com, and www.martindale.com.