Sunday afternoons in Calera, Alabama are usually pretty quiet. Maybe grab some sweet tea, watch some football, argue about whether to grill or smoke the brisket. What they are generally not supposed to include is a high-speed wrong-way interstate chase involving stolen merchandise, four children, and a suspect with 46 prior arrests across four states. And yet, here we are.
Calera Police Department officers responded around 2:20 p.m. to a shoplifting call at the local Walmart. Pretty routine stuff, until the suspects decided they had places to be. The pair bolted from the scene and headed north on U.S. 31, then cut over to Highway 87 toward Interstate 65 southbound. At this point, officers noted the suspects were driving recklessly at high speeds, which, combined with the discovery that children were inside the vehicle, prompted police to pull back from the pursuit. It was a responsible call, and honestly the right move.
The story did not end there, though. Not by a long shot.
Spike Strips, Wrong-Way Driving, and a Foot Chase for Good Measure
After Calera PD stepped back, Chilton County agencies stepped up. Law enforcement from Jemison and Clanton PD, along with Alabama State Troopers, picked up the pursuit. The suspects, apparently deciding that driving on the correct side of the interstate was optional, went the wrong way on I-65. Troopers responded by deploying spike strips, which are the automotive equivalent of the universe saying “no, actually, you’re done.” The vehicle was stopped, the suspects bailed on foot, and were quickly taken into custody. Brief foot chase, curtains closed.
Now for the part that makes car enthusiasts wince on a spiritual level: these two were burning rubber, dodging law enforcement across multiple counties, pulling wrong-way maneuvers on a major interstate… and for what? Retail theft. Not exactly the Cannonball Run.
Four Children Involved, Charges Piling Up Like Traffic on the 405
Perhaps the most sobering detail in all of this: investigators say two young children were inside the vehicle throughout the entire chase. Two more children had been left behind at the Walmart. The Alabama Department of Human Resources was notified and stepped in to care for all four kids.
The first suspect, from Montgomery, is now facing a considerable stack of charges including felony attempting to elude, reckless endangerment, abandonment of a child, retail theft, and 16 traffic violations. Sixteen. That is not a typo. To put that in perspective, most people go their entire lives without racking up 16 traffic violations total, let alone in a single Sunday afternoon outing. Authorities also noted this individual has prior retail theft charges, so this was apparently not a new hobby.
The second suspect brings an even longer resume to the table: 46 prior arrests across four states and multiple outstanding felony warrants. That person was turned over to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, which presumably had some paperwork waiting. Calera PD credited the multi-agency teamwork from Chilton County and State Troopers as essential in bringing the chase to a close without further incident.
Somewhere out there, a perfectly good Sunday was ruined by two people who apparently never learned the first rule of getting away with anything: don’t drive the wrong way on the interstate.