A Mobile man is in jail after police say he dragged an officer with his car during an early-morning traffic stop, led officers on a pursuit through the city and then tried to get away on foot.
Chandler Bell, 29, was pulled over at about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, according to the Mobile Police Department. While the officer was engaged with the driver, Bell allegedly accelerated the car, briefly dragging the officer before speeding away.
A short pursuit, a foot chase
Officers chased the vehicle until the driver bailed out. “The driver led officers on a pursuit that ended in the area of First Court and Joachim Street when he exited the vehicle and fled on foot before he was detained,” MPD said in a written statement.
Bell was taken to Mobile County Metro Jail, where he was charged with second-degree assault, resisting arrest and attempt to elude.
Why traffic stops turn dangerous
Incidents like this one are among the most dangerous moments in patrol work. A traffic stop puts an officer standing beside a car window with the engine still running and the driver in control of the vehicle, and federal officers killed-in-the-line-of-duty statistics have long counted traffic stops among the leading circumstances in which officers are struck or dragged by fleeing motorists. Police departments across the country train officers to watch the driver’s hands, position themselves to the rear of the driver’s door and be ready to break contact — precautions that can make the difference when a driver decides to bolt.
The charges Bell faces reflect the layers of the alleged conduct. Second-degree assault covers causing physical injury to another person by means of a dangerous instrument — in this case, prosecutors will argue, the moving car itself. Resisting arrest and attempt to elude attach to the foot chase that ended the pursuit.
Mobile police said the officer involved was not seriously injured in the encounter, and the investigation into the stop remains active. Bell will answer the charges in Mobile County District Court as the case moves forward.