A new law just made fleeing from police a serious crime. What used to be a misdemeanor can now result in prison time.
If a person flees from law enforcement in a car, on foot, or any other way, they can face a felony charge depending on what happens during the chase.
If a person runs from the police-whether on foot, in a vehicle, or in any way, but no one gets hurt, it's a misdemeanor.
But—if that person's actions cause an accident, hurt someone, or cross state lines, it's a Class C felony, and they face 1 to 10 years in prison.
If someone gets seriously hurt or killed while a person is attempting to flee from the police, the charge will be a Class B felony—punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. There may also be other charges if someone is seriously injured or killed.
In addition, upon conviction for this crime, the state may suspend a person's driving privileges for two years.
The actual law on this issue is found in Section 13A-10-52 of the Alabama Criminal Cod,e which reads as follows:
(a) It shall be unlawful for a person to intentionally flee by any means from anyone the person knows to be a law enforcement officer if the person knows the officer is attempting to arrest the person.
(b) It shall be unlawful for a person while operating a motor vehicle on a street, road, alley, or highway in this state, to intentionally flee or attempt to elude a law enforcement officer after having received a signal from the officer to bring the vehicle to a stop.
(c)(1) A violation of subsection (a) or (b) is a Class A misdemeanor.
(2) A violation of subsection (a) or (b) is a Class C felony if any of the following occur:
a. The flight or attempt to elude causes the offender to strike or collide with another vehicle or pedestrian.
b. The flight or attempt to elude causes physical injury to any other person.
c. The flight or attempt to elude results in the offender crossing the lines of this state into a neighboring state.
(3) A violation of subsection (a) or (b) is a Class B felony if either of the following occur:
a. The flight or attempt to elude causes serious physical injury or death to any other person.
b. During the flight or attempt to elude the person exceeds 20 miles per hour over the legal maximum speed limit.
(d) Upon conviction of subsection (a) or (b), the court shall order the suspension of the driver license of the defendant for a period of not less than six months nor more than two years.
(e) It is not a violation of this section for an individual to continue traveling at or below the speed limit, with or without the vehicle's flashers turned on, with the intent of stopping the vehicle at the nearest safe place.
