FROM CHIEF P.K. JOHNSON
MILLBROOK POLICE DEPARTMENT
Top Photo: Chase A. Hanger, 27, of Montgomery (Photo from Elmore County Jail)
On Sunday, August 7, 2022, at approximately 5:07 PM, Millbrook police officers received a report that a vehicle, a 2017 BMW 530I, reported as stolen to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, was possibly in the Millbrook area. Shortly after receiving that information, a Millbrook patrol officer observed the vehicle on Coosada Parkway, near Caroline Drive.
The stolen vehicle stopped momentarily at that location, but fled when the officer exited his vehicle. The vehicle fled down Caroline Drive to Rail Road Street, which is a dead-end street. The vehicle then reversed his path, fleeing back to Coosada Parkway, turning southbound toward the Alabama River Parkway.
The vehicle then turned westbound onto the Alabama Parkway, continuing westbound on Cobbs Ford Road to I-65. The vehicle turned northbound onto I-65, continuing to flee law enforcement vehicles at speeds well over 100 miles per hour. The stolen vehicle continued northbound to the 205 exit, where he proceeded eastbound on US Highway 31. The suspect vehicle came to a stop in the 2500 block of US Highway 31, where the driver, later identified as Chase A. Hanger, a 27-year-old Montgomery resident, and a female passenger were detained without incident or injury. The recovered stolen vehicle was impounded, with the reporting agency being notified of the vehicle’s recovery.
After being taken into custody, the offender claimed to have intentionally ingested narcotics to avoid prosecution, prior to the end of the vehicle pursuit. The offender was transported to a medical facility, as a precaution, to ensure his safety. After several days in the hospital for observation he was medically cleared. Hanger was placed under arrest, being charged with Receiving Stolen Property 1st Degree, Attempting to Elude, as well as issued multiple traffic citations for violations that occurred during the pursuit. Hanger was transported to the Elmore County Jail, where he remains under a $36,000.00 bond. Hanger is also wanted on multiple felony warrants held by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
We are extremely pleased with the outcome in this case. High speed pursuits are one of the most dangerous thing that we do in law enforcement and we don’t take them lightly, particularly when individuals drive in the manner that this young man did. He unnecessarily placed the lives of every motorist he encountered, the lives of all the officers involved, as well as that passenger and himself. I want to commend our officers for their calm professionalism and restraint that they exhibited during this incident. I also want to thank the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Chilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clanton Police Department for their assistance in this case.
This could have ended much differently and we are pleased that we were able to take this individual into custody without anyone being injured or worse.
At some point our state legislators need to look at making fleeing from law enforcement a felony. This kind of willful disregard for human life needs to be treated as such.
It makes me physically ill that this individual attempted to elude law enforcement officers in a stolen vehicle, placing countless lives in danger, and he has a bond of only $36,000.00.
That being said, at least we can take comfort that he has business with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, at such time that he’s released on our charges. If I remember correctly, I don’t recall seeing a bond associated with those charges.
