Collegedale, Tennessee, police chased a vehicle with three occupants suspected of shoplifting a $59 pair of hair clippers after watching them walk out of the store, get into their vehicle and exit the parking lot.
At least one of the suspects was ultimately found to have drugs and an illegally possessed firearm.
On Feb. 21, Collegedale police were called to the Walmart on Little Debbie Parkway at around 1:19 a.m. An assistant store manager told them that two men and a woman were acting suspiciously, watching employees and with a large purse that appeared to be empty, according to an incident report.
Four officers waited in the parking lot for the group to leave the store, the report states. The assistant manager called the officers to let them know through which door the group would be exiting.
But instead of detaining the group for questioning, the officers watched them walk across the parking lot, get into a white 2016 Dodge Dart and pull out in front of their patrol vehicles, the report states. Officers then ran the license plate through dispatch. The report doesn't clarify whether the vehicle was registered to one of the suspects.
The assistant store manager then called officers again and confirmed that the woman had a pair of $59 hair clippers that she didn't pay for.
Officer Brian Desmond then followed the group onto Interstate 75 and attempted to stop them for the theft, the incident report states. Theft is considered a misdemeanor offense. Ultimately, the woman accused of the theft was given only a misdemeanor citation, meaning she was not arrested.
But the driver refused to stop, and the pursuit carried on for "several miles" and one of its occupants was seen throwing a small bag out of the window. A sheriff's office sergeant ultimately joined the pursuit, and he and Desmond then "boxed the vehicle in at [the sergeant's] command."
"All parties were removed from the vehicle at gunpoint," the report states.
After questioning, the driver, identified as David Mosely, was determined to be the owner of the drugs - three grams of cocaine, one gram of marijuana, seven grams of methamphetamine - and the firearm. Police also suspected him of being under the influence of alcohol.
He faces 10 charges, including several drug and firearm-related charges, fabricating or tampering with evidence, evading arrest and DUI.
Passenger John Walling is charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence for allegedly throwing the drug bag out the window.
The woman, identified as Misty Kelly, was given a misdemeanor citation in connection with the theft of the hair clippers.
Collegedale police have a pursuit rate per capita that is nearly seven times that of Hamilton County Sheriff's Office over the course of three years. And in 2016, Collegedale's pursuit policy was revised to loosen its requirements for engaging in a pursuit.
Collegedale's human resources manager, Kristen Boyd, did not respond to questions about whether the pursuit is still under department review or whether an internal affairs investigation was under way.
Collegedale Police Department spokeswoman Bridgett Raper and Chief Brian Hickman did not return requests for comment or respond to questions about why the officers waited until the suspects were inside their vehicle and on the interstate before trying to stop them.
Law enforcement experts say it's better for officers attempt to apprehend suspects before they enter a vehicle.
"You've got sort of an unguided missile," Fred Shenkman, an emeritus professor of criminology at the University of Florida, previously told the Times Free Press. "The damage that could be done with two, 4,000-pound vehicles going 90 mph."
Pursuit policies often note that officers should try to find other, less risky methods to apprehend suspects first. For example, police can often identify suspects via license plates or visual recognition and and then serve an arrest warrant at a later time.
But while other agencies have made their pursuit policies more strict, Collegedale has made its policy more lenient. In 2016, police Chief Brian Hickman approved a policy that removed specific conditions for when to engage in a high-speed pursuit, including the need for probable cause that the suspect has committed or is going to commit a felony.
Now the decision to pursue is left solely up to officer discretion.
In July 2019, then-officer Burlon Hayworth engaged in a high-speed pursuit that resulted in the death of 32-year-old Randy Goforth. While Goforth was suspected only of speeding at the time of the pursuit, Hayworth was found to have operated within department policy and has since been promoted to sergeant.
The Collegedale Police Department had been under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation since July 2019 for an alleged traffic ticket quota system. And while Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston noted that there was evidence implying a quota system, it wasn't enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. He closed the case last month without taking action.
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