A deadly police pursuit near a university campus resulted in a double-fatality crash in the early hours of Sunday morning. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is investigating the incident, which began when a Troy University Police Department officer observed a stationary vehicle.
The precise location of the crash was on Elm Street Road, approximately one mile east of the Troy city limits in Pike County. The officer noted the car, a 2008 Audi A4, stopped on Elm Street near the Troy University campus at about 1:48 a.m. When the officer moved to approach the vehicle, the driver accelerated and fled the scene at a high rate of speed.
The police pursuit that followed was brief. After traveling only a short distance from the initial point of contact, the fleeing Audi left the roadway. The vehicle then struck a tree before colliding with a utility pole. The impact caused catastrophic damage to the car.
Both occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later identified them as 52-year-old Rosolando V. Givens, the driver, and 45-year-old Alkesa S. Liptrot, the passenger. Investigators confirmed that neither individual was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
While both Givens and Liptrot were residents of Troy, Alabama, officials have stated that neither was a student at Troy University. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Highway Patrol Division has taken lead on the ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
The incident has sparked conversations in the community and on social media regarding police pursuit policies. As the investigation continues, ALEA has not released further details regarding the reason for the initial attempted traffic stop or the exact speed of the vehicle.
