Covington County Police Chase Crosses State Line, Ends in Crash in Okaloosa County, Florida

A police pursuit that began in Covington County, Alabama, ended nearly 40 miles away in a crash in Okaloosa County, Florida, after a driver refused to stop for deputies and led law enforcement across the state line, according to officials.

According to a news release from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, a man began fleeing from Covington County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The pursuit continued south on Highway 189 into Baker, Florida, before reaching Crestview, where the man’s vehicle collided with a bystander’s vehicle at the intersection of Highway 90 and Highway 189.

Deputy Uses PIT Maneuver to End Pursuit

After the initial crash, a Covington County deputy performed a PIT maneuver — a tactic in which pursuing officers make contact with the rear of a fleeing vehicle to spin it out and force it to stop — to bring the man’s vehicle to a halt. The man then ran from the vehicle before being taken into custody, officials said.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies did not take part in the chase itself but responded to help manage the resulting crash scene, according to the release.

The man now faces charges in Okaloosa County of aggravated fleeing and eluding, leaving the scene of a crash with injury, and resisting an officer without violence. He also faces charges in Alabama stemming from the pursuit’s start in Covington County, though those charges were not detailed in the release.

Under Florida law, fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer becomes an aggravated offense, and a felony, when the driver causes injury to another person or damage to property during the pursuit.

No further details on the man’s identity or the extent of injuries from the crash were released as of Wednesday.