A man led Alabama officers and a reality television crew on a weekend chase that ended when he crashed his vehicle into a tanker truck, killing the man’s 15-year-old son, authorities said.
Reico Terry, 41, remained jailed Monday after the death of his son Jaylen Derrel Terry in Saturday’s crash in Birmingham. Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies had stopped chasing Terry because the pursuit had become too dangerous before the crash occurred, sheriff’s Sgt. Joni Money said in a statement.
Deputies said the 15-year-old from the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer was one of two passengers in the vehicle and died after being taken to a hospital. The teen was a backseat passenger.
The chase began when deputies, accompanied by a TV crew from the program Live PD, reported seeing a drug transaction at a suburban gas station. Deputies stopped the buyer, who Money said confirmed the purchase. The crew was filming, but wasn’t live.
When deputies tried to approach Terry, he sped away, Money said.
Deputies chased him onto Interstate 59/20, unsuccessfully trying to block intersections. Terry got off the interstate, Money said, adding deputies broke off the chase after Terry sped through intersections without yielding to oncoming traffic or stopping for the signals.
Terry crashed less than 20 minutes after he fled from deputies, according to Money. He said Terry tried to run away after the crash scene, but was arrested and found to have heroin.
Deputies say a front-seat passenger who had only minor injuries was questioned and released. Authorities didn’t say whether Terry was injured in the crash.
Terry is charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony eluding, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. Bail was set at more than $40,000.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the crash and authorities said Terry could face additional charges.
In November, four people were hospitalized and some critically injured following a crash in Birmingham during a chase by Jefferson County deputies, with Live PD accompanying.
The show portrays police action without any music, script, interviews or narrator. The contract with Jefferson County ended in December, but The Birmingham News reports Live PD crews have continued to accompany deputies, although filming is no longer live.
The Associated Press contributed to this article