A Columbus man died and three others were injured in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday night after the driver allegedly fled a Columbus Police Department traffic stop.
Christopher Austin Bankhead, 21, who was riding in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, died at the scene of the crash, Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant wrote in a text to media outlets.
At about 8 p.m., officers pulled the car over for a “simple traffic stop” just off Alabama Street, Chief Joseph Daughtry told The Dispatch on Wednesday. Daughtry said he did not know why the traffic stop was initiated.
During the stop, Daughtry said the car sped off away from officers.
“The individuals in the car kept reaching for something. The officers kept telling them ‘Hey, man, relax,’” he said. “Then the driver took off at a high rate of speed. He just took off.”
By the time officers returned to their patrol car to begin pursuit, Daughtry said the car had already crashed into a pole sign on Alabama Street in front of Food Giant.
“They saw smoke and everything else in a direction, and that’s the direction that they went and it was wrecked,” he said.
Merchant told the Dispatch the car left the roadway through a ditch before colliding with a sign post. The car split into many pieces leaving a “pretty gruesome” scene, he said.
Daughtry was unsure how fast the car was traveling at the time of the crash.
The driver and other two passengers were injured in the crash, though Daughtry did not know their current conditions. Two of the victims were taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle while the third was airlifted to another hospital, Merchant said.
Daughtry told The Dispatch the department will conduct an internal investigation to ensure the officers followed standard operating procedures.
Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, according to Trooper Bryant Flake, MHP’s public affairs officer.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
