Atlanta Police Officer Killed by Alleged Drunk Driver

Late Tuesday night, January 24, 2012, Atlanta police officer Gail Thomas, a 15 year police officer, came to assist a fellow officer with a traffic accident on the Brookwood interchange ramp from I-75 southbound to I-85 north. Officer Thomas got out of her patrol vehicle and was struck by another vehicle and killed. Officer Thomas had just started her shift. She died at the scene. Officer Thomas was 46 years old.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Officer Thomas was Chasity Jones. Ms. Jones, 22, was questioned on the scene. According to reports, Ms. Jones registered a .16 on the roadside breath test which is twice the legal limit in Georgia of .08. However, after being arrested for DUI, Ms. Jones turned down the official breathalyzer test.

A relatively new technique that Atlanta police officers are using when a suspected DUI driver turns down a breathalyzer test is to get a search warrant for a blood test. This means that even when a driver refuses testing, which is her right to do, if there is a search warrant, officers can transport the driver to a hospital and force them to submit to a blood sample. Ms. Jones was taken to Grady for a blood sample after she refused the state administered breath test. She was then booked into the Fulton County jail. She will go before a judge to consider the issues of bond. Ms. Jones is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, and first degree homicide by vehicle

Officer Thomas was a well respected and loved Atlanta officer and a veteran of the force. Losing her is a tragedy. Atlanta officers, judges and attorneys were shaken today when they heard such terrible news. She will be missed. She was a model officer and always had a smile on her face.