Savannah Police report details deadly chase; Mayor comments on pursuit policy
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — If you commit a forcible felony in the City of Savannah, police have the right to chase you or use force.According to the policy, Savannah Police justify this when the immediate arrest of a suspect outweighs the dangers created by a pursuit. The latest chase in particular ending just feet away from a home off Liberty Parkway near Upson. Mayor Van Johnson talked with WSAV on Wednesday about the policy.
'People need to stop committing crimes,' Johnson said. 'When you have individuals that are engaged in forcible felonies, we're going to bring them to justice. It's the responsibility of the police to be able to do that…I think there are circumstances in which making sure that you are chasing while following a safe distance with safety protocols is appropriate.'60-year-old Darren Lewis was about to turn onto the parkway when he was hit by Kenneth Gordon's car, according to Georgia State Patrol (GSP). A spokesperson says Gordon was fleeing from police.
Officers detailed in a report that they had their eye on the 2020 Jeep Compass Gordon was driving, because the owner of the car had relations to someone involved in a shooting early Tuesday morning where five people were hurt at the Westlake Apartments.
'The tragedy was an individual who chose to flee. That's where the irresponsibility was. That's what recklessness was,' Johnson said. While Gordon was arrested on scene, an innocent life was lost.
'This gentleman was living his life, just doing what he does,' Johnson said of Lewis's death. 'He was a beloved father, grandfather, and husband. This is just horrible.'
Just last year, News 3 talked to the mayor about this same policy, which Johnson said was crystal clear. GSP is the agency investigating this crash.
OPS-011-Vehicle-Pursuits-03.22.23Download
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gun fired at Bradley Pointe Apartments
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — No one was injured after a gun was fired on Bradley Boulevard, an officer on scene told WSAV. No other information was available at the time of publishing this article. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Newsweek
Mike Johnson Says 'Clear Distinction' Between Jan. 6 and Los Angeles Riots
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that there's a "clear distinction" between the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol and the widespread demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles. What To Know CNN's Manu Raju asked Johnson whether he thinks it's "hypocritical" for President Donald Trump to condemn the anti-ICE protesters in L.A. for clashing with law enforcement when Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of everyone charged in the deadly Capitol riot, many of whom were convicted of beating or impeding law enforcement. "Look, no, I think there's a clear distinction between those two," Johnson said. "We've seen what's happened in L.A. in the early '90s and other times, when these things get out of control ... you have to stay on top of that and you cannot let it get out of control." Johnson was referring to the deadly 1992 riots that broke out in L.A. after a jury acquitted four police officers accused of brutally beating Black motorist Rodney King after a high-speed chase. "But what's the difference between the violent protesters on January 6 [and anti-ICE demonstrators]?" Raju pressed the House speaker. "Everybody wants me to relitigate January 6, I'm not going to do that," Johnson said. "There's a very clear distinction between the two. People who broke the law and destroyed property [on January 6] were met with the proper consequences on that." He added that the government has to be "consistent" on that issue in L.A., before turning to walk away. The protests in Los Angeles erupted after ICE raided a number of downtown neighborhoods with high immigrant populations and labor-intensive industries. More than 50 people have been arrested as a result of the raids and five Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers have been injured, officials said. Senator Majority Leader John Thune was also asked about Trump's "inconsistency" on the L.A. demonstrations and January 6 siege. "Do you see any inconsistency when the president criticizes or condemns the violent Los Angeles protesters but then pardons the violent January 6 protesters?" a reporter asked the South Dakota Republican. Thune dodged the question, saying, "I think the issue that's in front of us right now is the chaos in L.A." "And clearly the local officials there, for whatever reason, didn't seem up to the task of getting the job done there," he added. California Governor Gavin Newsom, local officials and the LAPD have all rebuffed that claim, saying they had the protests under control until Trump deployed the National Guard and mobilized the Marines to crack down on the demonstrations, which led to more unrest. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
TN Republicans' bill would oust officials who release 'confidential' immigration enforcement details
Top Tennessee Republican lawmakers have proposed a bill that would make it a felony and grounds for removal if public officials jeopardize the safety of federal law enforcement officers or disrupt federal immigration enforcement by revealing confidential operation details. The bill, filed by House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson on June 9, comes after a weeklong operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Nashville in early May. The operation led to hundreds of traffic stops, in coordination with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and nearly 200 arrests. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has been under scrutiny from state and federal Republican leaders over his response to the arrests. During the operation, O'Connell updated an existing executive order that requires city departments to report communications with federal immigration officials to the mayor's office, tightening the timeline for those reports. Even in its original version, the executive order included a provision that those communications be posted online for transparency. When O'Connell's office posted that list in late May, it originally included the names of some officials who called. Those names have since been removed from the version of the spreadsheet posted online. During the sweeps in Nashville, O'Connell also repeatedly asked federal officials to release the names and charges of the people arrested, but to no avail. Some community members, meanwhile, were outspoken in their opposition to the operation. Immigrant rights groups and other Nashvillians showed up to protest at Nashville's ICE office not long after the sweeps began on May 4. That opposition extended to further protests several weeks later, an appearance from New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and a volunteer effort to monitor and verify ICE activity. U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and other D.C. Republicans have since called for a federal investigation into O'Connell, which was officially initiated on May 30. Meanwhile, Sexton called for O'Connell to rescind his executive order, saying it risks the safety of federal immigration agents. "The people of Tennessee expect their elected leaders to protect law enforcement — not endanger them," Johnson said in a June 9 news release. "When a public official like Mayor O'Connell chooses political activism over public safety, especially by interfering with federal immigration enforcement, he has no business holding office in this state." Johnson said he hopes the legislation "sends a message" to O'Connell and other "blue city" leaders that may act similarly. 'Mayor O'Connell's public refusal to rescind his executive order makes the need for this legislation unmistakably clear to prevent future political defiance that undermines the rule of law and puts law enforcement at risk,' Johnson said in the release. Sexton and Johnson did not provide any examples of O'Connell's interference with immigration enforcement operations. The bill would make it a Class E felony for state or local officials to "negligently release" information that identifies officers tasked with immigration enforcement and paves the way to oust those who violate the law, according to the release. Additionally, it expands provisions under the Tennessee Public Records Act to protect undercover officers and sensitive enforcement activity and beefs up penalties for unauthorized disclosures of protected law enforcement information. The bill is backed by top Senate Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, Republican Caucus Chair Ken Yager and Finance Committee Chair Bo Watson. It is set to be taken up in the 2026 legislative session. O'Connell's office had not responded to The Tennessean's request for comment by 11 a.m. on June 10. The move by Tennessee Republicans comes a few days after U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, introduced legislation to make it illegal to 'dox' federal law enforcement officials. She said the bill is a direct response to the spreadsheet published by O'Connell's office detailing recent communications between city departments with federal immigration agents. Blackburn filed the Protecting Law Enforcement From Doxxing Act on June 4, explicitly naming O'Connell as the impetus. That bill would make it illegal to 'publish the name of a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration operation.' An individual found guilty of doing so would face a fine and imprisonment of five years. In their joint news release on June 9, Sexton and Johnson praised Blackburn's efforts and say their proposed legislation complements her proposal. "Tennessee has always stood with law enforcement and we will not allow politically motivated actors to put officers' lives in danger simply to score political points with the far left," Sexton said in the release. "Tennessee will not become California, and Nashville will not become LA or San Francisco on our watch." Typically, "doxxing" refers to the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the internet, such as their home addresses, private contact information and names of family members. As for the public availability of law enforcement officers' names, they are not typically considered private information. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN bill would punish officials who reveal immigration enforcement details
