NEWS | halesides

Police Pursuit

Tom Hale successfully defended an Alabama city and one of its police officers in a lawsuit arising from the officer’s pursuit of a criminal suspect driving a stolen vehicle. A BOLO was issued that the suspect was traveling toward the city. A short time later, the suspect was seen driving in the city at a high rate of speed and violating multiple other laws. The subject officer began pursuing the suspect, but the suspect refused to stop and, instead, increased his speed and th

Wrongful Death - Excessive Force

On behalf of an Alabama police officer, Terry Sides won a wrongful death case in federal court. Late one night, witnesses observed the plaintiff’s decedent with a “BB gun” or similar weapon firing shots into vehicles in the parking lot of an apartment complex where the decedent lived. When the police arrived, they repeatedly knocked on the front door of the decedent’s apartment and announced their presence, but the decedent (even though he was inside the apartment) ignored th

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