Advocates call for end to high-speed chases after deadly Little Five Points crash

Advocates are pushing for charges after a chase involving the Georgia State Patrol ended with an innocent 19-year-old driver dead in Little Five Points.The group plans to hold a press conference near the site of the deadly crash to call for an end to high-speed chases and immediate changes to the Georgia State Patrol's pursuit policy.On Monday, investigators say a GSP trooper tried to stop 23-year-old Faduma Mohamedon on Interstate 20 eastbound near Boulevard after observing her speeding and weaving through traffic. When she failed to pull over, the trooper initiated a pursuit that exited the highway.The chase ended at the intersection of Moreland Avenue and McLendon Avenue. Officials say Mohamed ran a red light, hitting a Honda driven by 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke. The impact pushed the car nearly a block from the point of collision, witnesses said. Firefighters used extraction equipment to reach Schoenke, but he could not be saved.Drew Charter School shared the following statement with families:"It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of one of our former students, alumnus Cooper Schoenke, a member of Drew’s Class of 2023.  Cooper passed as an innocent bystander in a fatal car accident on April 14, 2025, in Atlanta’s Five Points neighborhood. This loss is deeply felt throughout our school community.  Cooper attended Drew since second grade, and the Schoenke family has been a longstanding and active part of the Drew community.  Officers took Mohamed into custody at the scene and transported her to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Following Schoenke's death, a group that includes state Reps. Park Cannon, Gabriel Sanchez, and Eric Bell, Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, and Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs, called on the Georgia State Patrol to make changes to ensure this never happens again.In a release announcing the press conference, the group says that the crash was the latest in a "growing pattern of deadly, preventable tragedies resulting from high-speed chases often initiated by GSP over low-level traffic infractions."The group cited a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that showed that pursuits involving the GSP have led to more than 1,900 injuries and 63 deaths in the last five years."GSP’s pursuit policy isn’t about public safety—it’s about projecting power, no matter the cost to human life. The Georgia State Patrol is operating with outdated policies that endanger the public and create a ‘Dukes of Hazards’-like environment on our streets," Devin Barrington-Ward, the director of communications at the National Police Accountability Project, said. "There is no justification for taking innocent lives, particularly in the pursuit of minor infractions. We’re calling on state leaders to act now and put public safety before the need for speed."Lawmakers and advocates want the GSP to restrict high-speed pursuits to cases involving violent felonies, requiring approval before beginning or continuing a chase, and permitting high-speed pursuits and PIT maneuvers in highly populated areas, residential neighborhoods, and in major pedestrian corridors."Another family is grieving because of a policy that prioritizes reckless speed over public safety. The people of Atlanta, especially those in District 58, deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods—not endangered by state police pursuits. It’s time for responsible leadership and immediate action," Cannon said.The press conference will take place on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in Little Five Points.The group is expected to also call on Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to join them in demanding reforms without waiting on the Georgia Legislature.