ATLANTA — New details have emerged in regard to a high-speed chase that ended in a 12-year-old boy being killed.
Authorities said Leden Boykins was a passenger in a car driven by a neighbor, who was being chased by Georgia State Patrol Troopers early in the morning on September 10.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, troopers pulled that neighbor over for speeding. They said that he would not produce his driver's license. Instead, according to the GSP, he drove off and began speeding and driving recklessly, for three and a half miles along Highway 92, until troopers used a PIT maneuver to stop him.
In a newly released incident report, the trooper who performed that PIT maneuver stated that the neighbor smelled of alcohol, and afterward, an open Bud Light was located in the vehicle, along with two empty flasks.
The trooper also added that due to the vehicle's window tint, he was unable to see clearly if there was anyone else inside.
"Due to the confrontational driver, I was unable to take my main focus off the driver. The only other thing I noticed inside the vehicle was someone in the passenger seat but due to the lighting conditions and only seeing the person from my peripheral vision I was only able to tell that the person looked large in size, like an adult," the trooper explained. "I was unable to clearly see if anyone was in the back see due to the window tint on the vehicle. At no time did I see any movement or anything that looked like a person in the back seat."
Later on in the report, the trooper explains his reason for using the controversial PIT maneuver, stating "the longer I waited to end the pursuit, the more the suspect would jeopardize the lives of innocent bystanders on the roadway."
In a previously released 911 call, the neighbor can be heard saying, “They need to get them off of me, right now. I’m scared, I’ve got my kids with me, right now.”
He was referring to both children who were in the car with him as his kids -- 12-year-old Boykins, the son of a family friend, and the driver’s own 14-year-old son.
When the troopers forced the car off of the road and it spun and overturned, the phone remained connected to 911. The neighbor was heard shouting, “Leden! Leden! Leden! No!...” realizing that the child had been killed.
The Georgia State Patrol has brought murder charges against Moore that include murder and DUI. The DUI charge was because he refused a breathalyzer, they said.
The troopers are also under investigation, which is routine when they are involved in fatal car wrecks.
Boykins' parents previously said they don't understand why the troopers chose to end the chase with a PIT maneuver. They would like too see the troopers involved held accountable too.