ATLANTA — Public safety advocates are once again calling for changes to police pursuit policies after a bystander was killed following a Georgia State Patrol chase on Memorial Day.
Authorities said 51-year-old Chatanna Patterson was killed in Fulton County after she was hit by a fleeing driver during a crash connected to the pursuit.
Public safety advocate Devin Barrington-Ward said the latest crash highlights concerns about how pursuits are handled, especially on busy city streets.
“For example, we think that it is prudent that pursuits should not happen in areas that we know are high pedestrian and cyclist corridors,” Barrington-Ward said.
Barrington-Ward said law enforcement agencies should focus on preserving lives during these situations.
“Law enforcement’s chief responsibility is the preservation of life,” Barrington-Ward said.
He also questioned whether enough consideration is being given to innocent bystanders during pursuits.
“And while we don’t want to see anyone die, it’s very unfortunate that it’s innocent bystanders who are oftentimes the victims of these crashes,” Barrington-Ward said.
The Georgia State Patrol said in a statement that the investigation into the Memorial Day crash remains active.
The agency said the incident “is a painful reminder of the dangers created when drivers make reckless decisions and flee from law enforcement.”
The Memorial Day crash is one of several deadly pursuit-related incidents reported in Georgia in recent years. Another bystander was killed in April 2025 after a pursuit ended in a crash in Little Five Points. That crash happened about a week after another deadly pursuit-related crash in Buckhead.
Barrington-Ward said he wants to see pursuits limited, especially on city streets.
“Who were they protecting, and who were they serving in that moment? Certainly not the most recent victims of police pursuits here in the state of Georgia,” Barrington-Ward said.
A recent national study found more than 3,300 people died in police pursuits across the United States over a six-year period. The study found about 30% of those killed were uninvolved motorists, passengers or pedestrians.
