BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A suspect is now in custody after leading police in a pursuit that went from Homewood and ended in Bessemer.
According to Sgt. John Carr of the Homewood Police Department, the chase began at 9:19 a.m. Tuesday after officers attempted to make a traffic stop on Lakeshore Parkway. During the stop, officer discovered a driver, Demaria Hickhics, and a passenger, Tyriq McCall, in the car. During a background check, officers discovered that Hicks, 21, had a warrant out of Tarrant for a traffic violation while McCall, 20, had an active warrant out of Jefferson County in a murder case.
At the stop, Hicks drove the car away. During the pursuit, McCall threw a handgun out of the car. At one point, the pursuit went onto I-59, where McCall, armed with an assault rifle, got out of the car and fled the scene on foot. Officers quickly found McCall hiding in a shed and arrested him.
During the chase, motorcycle police officer Jason Kanaday was injured and has since been taken to UAB Hospital for critical injuries. The chase ended at the corner of 18th Avenue and 18th Way Bessemer.
Last December, a grand jury indicted McCall on one count of murder in the death of Orlando Keith Williams, who was shot and killed at the Comfort Inn on Academy Lane in Bessemer on April 10, 2021. Along with John Christopher and two teenage juveniles, McCall was arrested and charged in the case on April 16, 2021, but was released 11 days later on $100,000 bond.
In March, an alias warrant had been issued for McCall’s arrest. These warrants are typically issued when a suspect fails to appear in court for a scheduled hearing.
At 12:13 p.m., Hicks was located at a home in the 700 block of Old Spring Road and was arrested.
McCall was subsequently charged with second-degree receiving stolen property and attempting to elude, while Hicks was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and attempting to elude with injuries. Each is being held at the Jefferson County Jail on $25,000 bond each.
