Alabama 'drug dealer' crashes car during police chase and flees, leaving his son, 15, to die in back seat
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: A television crew in Birmingham, Alabama, captured the horrific moment on Saturday, May 16, when a suspected drug dealer crashed his car during a police chase and left his child to die. Reico Terry, whose car was being chased by authorities, left his 15-year-old son Jaylen Terry to die after he lost control of the vehicle and it struck a tanker.
Reports state that a crew from the television show 'Live PD' was shadowing the city police department at the time of the incident and captured the fatal collision on camera. The footage, however, has not been broadcast. It is currently not clear whether the disturbing clip will ever make to the screen. The 41-year-old Reico was reportedly being pursued by police after he was allegedly seen selling drugs at a gas station.
Authorities had reportedly stopped chasing Reico's car shortly before the crash in an attempt to encourage him to stop driving dangerously. However, it was too late. The alleged drug suspect immediately attempted to flee from the scene after the crash, leaving his injured 15-year-old son to die in the back seat. Reports state that Jaylen was in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the chase and was rushed to hospital by authorities.
He later succumbed to his injuries. Reico was later apprehended by authorities and taken into custody. He was found to be in possession of heroin. There was also a front-seat passenger in the vehicle who was questioned at the scene. However, he was released by authorities and only received minor injuries in the accident, according to Birmingham Real Time News.
The child's mother, identified as Anika, has been left distraught by the news of her son's death. She has stated that her estranged husband must now live with what he has done. The mother, while talking to WVTM, recalled the moment when she heard the devastating news. "I just dropped to the floor because I knew it was bad, I just felt it in my soul, like, they didn’t make it," she said.
Anika added that she does not think her husband did this intentionally. She also revealed that he has been battling a drug addiction for a while now. "(Terry) has to live with this for the rest of his life," Anika said. "It's a hard situation because I love them both, and I know he wouldn't have done anything intentionally to hurt him…it's going to be hard to move on."
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, May 19, announced warrants against Reico for loitering for the purposes of drugs and tampering with physical evidence. The 41-year-old has also been charged with resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony attempting to elude, and reckless endangerment following Saturday's incident. Reico, however, has not been charged in connection with his son's death although an investigation into the incident has been launched by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Reico continues to remain in jail and his bail has reportedly been set for $53,000.