Jagger Haden AlegreA senior from Heritage High School in Catoosa County, Georgia, is in critical condition after a hit-and-run incident that occurred near the student's home just before midnight on Feb. 3.
The student - 18-year-old Luke Stephens - was walking on a road near his home on Fallbrooke Lane when he was hit by a car. The person who made the 911 report told dispatchers he heard a commotion outside his home and looked out of his garage to see a white Chevrolet Impala speed away. The witness said he saw Stephens lying on the ground and eventually got into his own car to pursue the Impala that sped away.
The Impala was being driven by 17-year-old Jagger Haden Alegre of Rossville, Catoosa County Sheriff Gary Sisk confirmed in a news release Monday.
Alegre was arrested and booked on aggravated assault charges following the investigation.
First responders treated Stephens at the scene of the crash for serious injuries and rushed him to Erlanger hospital. According to a GoFundMe page for Stephens and reporting by WRCB-TV Channel 3, Stephens is suffering from a skull fracture, small brain bleed, 11 fractured ribs, multiple fractures in his back and a possible left arm fracture.
He's also dealing with lacerations to his bronchial tube, a collapsed lung and is in the ICU as of Monday evening.
In the news release, Sisk said the incident is the result of a dispute between Stephens and several others who were inside the Chevrolet. Witnesses told investigators the dispute had escalated from Stephens reaching through a window of the Impala to Alegre allegedly driving away, striking a mailbox and curb when Stephens suffered his injuries.
Alegre and three other passengers were later found by Ringgold police officers on Alabama Highway. After a traffic stop, all four were brought to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office for questioning.
The incident happened two days before Stephens turned 18.
Sheriff Sisk said the investigation into what caused the dispute is ongoing.
- Compiled by Patrick Filbin