Authorities identify suspect killed following police chase | Crime

DOTHAN, AL (WSFA) - The Alabama Bureau of Investigation is looking in to the circumstances surrounding a police chase that left a Dothan man dead.

Dothan police say while on routine patrol, a Dothan Police officer initiated a traffic stop in the vicinity of Whiddon Street. A license plate scan of the vehicle indicated the driver was wanted on felony warrants. When the officer signaled the driver to stop, the driver fled, leading police on a chase down westbound Whiddon Street and then to westbound Houston Street. As the suspect vehicle approached Montgomery Highway, it turned into a parking lot where it struck a car. Officers exited the patrol vehicle and ordered the driver to get out of the car. The suspect vehicle then accelerated towards one of the officers. That officer fired approximately five shots at the suspect vehicle while attempting to avoid being struck.

The vehicle then traveled across Montgomery Highway where it crashed through the side of a business injuring an employee inside. That employee sustained moderate injuries.

The suspect, 22-year-old Christopher Jerome Thomas, succumbed to injuries sustained during the chase. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Because this is an officer-involved shooting, the investigation of this case has been handed over to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. Part of the materials turned over to the ABI include the dash-cam video of the incident. The officer involved in this shooting was immediately put on administrative leave with pay.