A Georgia family is grieving as NBC News reports that a police officer’s choice to engage in a car chase and employ a pit maneuver resulted in the death of a child.
The boy, Leden Boykins was a passenger in a Kia Sorento driven by his father, a man named Charlie Moore. Georgia State Patrol says that they suspected Moore of driving under the influence. He was initially pulled over for speeding.
Georgia State Patrol said in an email on Monday that Moore, 35, was initially pulled over shortly after 1 a.m. by a trooper for speeding.
But he then refused to “lower his driver window or produce any type of identification.” The trooper who pulled Moore over, who was not named, then asked for assistance and a deputy with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office responded. That deputy broke Moore’s driver’s window.
Moore then drove away and led police on a highway chase, police said.
Authorities say Moore drove recklessly throughout the chase. As he was driving, Moore was on the phone with 911 and was quoted as saying “They need to get them off of me, right now because I’m scared. I’ve got my kids with me, right now. Oh my God, no, they’re trying to flip my car, man.” Moore’s other 14-year-old child was in the vehicle as well.
Police caused the Sorento to crash by employing a PIT maneuver and Boykins was killed when the crossover rolled. The troopers are being investigated (which is standard procedure) and Moore has been charged with murder.
Boykins’ family is left wanting answers. While they acknowledge that Moore bears some responsibility for the way he was driving, Boykin’s mother wonders why another method of getting Moore to stop wasn’t used.
“Why was he (the driver) considered so dangerous that they had to flip that car with them kids in there? Why did he (the trooper) make that decision? Why did he decide to flip that car knowing there was kids in there?”