MOBILE, Ala. — A Mobile police pursuit that began with a speeding vehicle near Interstate 10 and Broad Street ended when the driver crashed into a concrete drainage structure early Tuesday, and a 33-year-old man now faces a felony charge of attempting to elude law enforcement, according to the Mobile Police Department.
Police identified the driver as Randy McCovery, 33. He was taken into custody at the crash scene, checked by Mobile Fire-Rescue personnel and booked into Mobile County Metro Jail. In addition to the felony eluding count, he is charged with several traffic offenses, police said.
The case is the second in as many days in which a Mobile driver has been charged with felony eluding after a chase ended in a crash, and it comes less than a week after Alabama’s tougher eluding law took effect.
What police say happened
According to police, officers patrolling the area of Interstate 10 and Broad Street at about 4:07 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, saw a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed.
Officers tried to make a traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, the driver accelerated and kept going, police said. What started as a routine speeding stop turned into a pursuit through Mobile streets and eventually onto the interstate.
The chase ended when the driver crashed into a concrete drainage structure, disabling the vehicle. Officers quickly took the driver into custody, according to police.
Mobile Fire-Rescue personnel evaluated McCovery at the scene before he was taken to Metro Jail. Police did not describe any injuries, and they did not say whether anyone else was in the vehicle or whether any other vehicles or property were damaged.
The charges
McCovery is charged with felony attempting to elude law enforcement and several traffic offenses, police said. The department did not list the specific traffic charges or say how fast the vehicle was going, how long the pursuit lasted or exactly where it ended. Bond information was not included in the police account.
Charges are accusations, not proof of guilt. McCovery is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. It was not immediately known whether he has an attorney.
Key facts at a glance
- When: About 4:07 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026
- Where it began: Area of Interstate 10 and Broad Street, Mobile
- Why officers tried to stop the vehicle: It was traveling at a high rate of speed, police said
- How it ended: The vehicle crashed into a concrete drainage structure and was disabled
- Driver: Randy McCovery, 33
- Charges: Felony attempting to elude law enforcement and several traffic offenses
- Custody: Mobile County Metro Jail
- Agencies: Mobile Police Department and Mobile Fire-Rescue
A new eluding law raised the stakes
Alabama’s revised eluding law took effect Oct. 1, 2026, as South AL News reported in its coverage of a separate chase earlier this week. Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation, Senate Bill 233, in April 2026. Under the change, using a vehicle to flee from law enforcement is a felony. Before the law took effect, attempting to elude was generally a Class A misdemeanor in Alabama unless the case involved aggravating circumstances, such as injuring someone or striking another vehicle.
The new law also increased penalties for fleeing with children in the vehicle, striking officers or their vehicles, or committing the offense while on pretrial release, and it set mandatory jail time for repeat offenders.
McCovery’s arrest came a day after another Mobile driver was charged under the same felony statute. In that case, police said a 23-year-old man refused to stop on Interstate 65 early Monday, Oct. 5, and crashed into a retaining wall near the I-10 interchange. Read our earlier report on the I-65 chase and crash.
Police did not say which provision of the law applies in McCovery’s case or what class of felony he faces. Those details typically become clearer as a case moves through the court system.
Why pursuits worry police and safety advocates
Lawmakers who backed the tougher penalties argued that drivers who run from police endanger not only themselves and officers but also uninvolved motorists and pedestrians. A chase at high speed, even in the early morning hours, can quickly turn deadly at an intersection, on an interstate ramp or on a curve.
Interstate 10 is the main east-west highway through Mobile, carrying traffic between Mississippi, downtown, the Wallace Tunnel and the Bayway to Baldwin County. Broad Street is a major surface street near downtown and the city’s south side. Even before dawn, commercial trucks, shift workers and travelers use the corridor.
In Tuesday’s case, the only reported collision was with a concrete drainage structure. Police have not said whether McCovery was hurt.
What to do when police signal you to stop
Safety officials and law enforcement agencies offer consistent advice for drivers who see blue lights behind them:
- Turn on your turn signal, slow down and pull over to the right as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Stay in the vehicle with your hands visible unless an officer tells you otherwise.
- If you are unsure whether the vehicle behind you is a real police car, especially at night or on a dark road, slow down, turn on your hazard lights, call 911 to confirm and drive at or below the speed limit to a well-lit, public place before stopping.
Alabama law recognizes that last approach. A driver who continues at or below the speed limit, with or without hazard lights, while intending to stop at the nearest safe place is not committing the offense of eluding.
What happens next
After an arrest in Alabama, a defendant generally makes an initial court appearance, where a judge reviews the charges and sets or reviews bond. Felony cases in Mobile County can be presented to a grand jury, which decides whether there is enough evidence for an indictment that would send the case to circuit court. The traffic charges would proceed along with the felony count.
Police have not said whether additional charges are expected. South AL News will update this story if more information becomes available from the Mobile Police Department or court records.
Anyone with information about this or other crimes can contact the Mobile Police Department or submit an anonymous tip through Mobile Area Crime Stoppers.
