Opp, AL (WSFA) -
Opp is said to be a
'City of Opportunity,' and if the 17-year old teenager behind the wheel of a
'93 Lincoln Towncar had an opportunity to do it again, he might think twice
before leading Opp police on a chase.
"They may think
they can outrun us, but we have radios," said Opp Chief Michael McDonald.
Chief McDonald says one
of his officers was on routine patrol, picked up a speeder on radar north of
town Saturday night and quickly got behind him.
"The suspects kept
fleeing," said McDonald.
The chase was on
clocking at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The male driver and his
passenger 20-year old Zachary Peppin of Texas collided with a Grand Prix driven
by a 16-year old girl.
The chase ended about 7
miles away at the intersection of Highway 331 South and State Highway 299 but
that wasn't the end of it.
"The two suspects
then got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Our officer captured
them," said McDonald.
The juvenile and Peppin
face charges ranging from 'attempting to elude police to bringing stolen
property into the state. The Lincoln Towncar was stolen in Columbia, Tennessee,
over the weekend. The two suspects are not related and the chief isn't sure how
or why they got together. Both were headed to Florida.
"They've been very
cooperative. They told us they tried to steal two school buses in Tennessee and
our investigation shows the 17-year old walked away from a youth facility
in Tennessee," said Chief McDonald.
As for the Grand Prix
driver she was taken to Mizell Memorial Hospital for observation but is going
to be okay.
Chief McDonald says he
is very pleased with the way his officer handled the chase.
Peppin remains in the
Covington County Jail while the male juvenile was handed over to the Alabama
Department of Youth Services.
Copyright 2013 WSFA 12 News.
All rights reserved.
The wrecked Lincoln sits in a storage yard.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WTVM, a Raycom Media Station.
