The Chatham County Police Department said that a man fatally crashed into a teacher while he was fleeing from ICE agents.
Per WTOC, the fatal incident occurred on Monday morning and outside one of the Chatham County Police Department’s precincts. The deceased woman was identified as Hesse K-8 teacher Linda Davis.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was said to be executing an operation around the Truman Parkway area at the time of the fatal incident. The suspect, identified as Oscar Vasquez Lopez, reportedly refused to pull over when the ICE agents attempted to conduct a traffic stop on him. Lopez fatally struck Davis after he engaged the ICE agents in a pursuit.
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The Chatham County Police Department ultimately arrested Lopez and charged him with first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, driving without valid license, and failure to obey traffic control device.
In a press release, the DHS said that Lopez illegally entered the United States, adding that he’s a native of Guatemala. The DHS also said that in 2024, Lopez was “issued a final order of removal by a federal judge.”
Records from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office also indicated that Lopez did not have a previous run-in with the law.
In the aftermath of the fatal incident, the CCPD said that it had no knowledge about the ICE carrying out an operation in the vicinity. The department also said that CCPD officers were not involved in the fatal pursuit.
Chatham County Chairman Chester Ellis told WTOC that if the county had been notified about Lopez’s case, they could have worked out a plan to arrest him while ensuring others were not put in danger.
“I’m saying to the President on down to all of our national leaders, there’s a better way to do this. And I think if you allow us to be at the table to draw out strategies and come up with ways of doing things, we can prevent this,” Ellis said.
Ellis also highlighted that Chatham County law enforcement agencies have a “no chase policy,” and they would have used a different strategy to corner Lopez.
“We have a no chase policy, and the no-chase policy is to help protect our citizens more than it is anything else. So there may have been a different way to corner the individual so that he could not run, or that he could not cause the accident that took the life of Dr. Davis,” Ellis stated.
CCPD Chief Jeff Hadley also said that the fatal incident could have been likely prevented.
“Condolences to the Davis family, Savannah Chatham public schools, and anyone that’s affected by this. As the Chairman stated, this is really unfortunate and more than likely, preventable,” said Hadley.
In a lengthy statement, the DHS said: “After months of sanctuary politicians encouraging and instructing illegal aliens to resist and evade federal law enforcement, a criminal illegal alien attempting to flee from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement struck and killed a motorist in Savannah, Georgia.
On February 16, ICE law enforcement officers attempted to apprehend Oscar Vasquez Lopez, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala who was issued a final order of removal by a federal judge in 2024. He entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location.”
The statement added: “During the operation, officers observed Vasquez Lopez enter a vehicle and they attempted a traffic stop. Vasquez Lopez initially complied, but then fled the scene, making a reckless U-turn and running a red light, colliding into a civilian vehicle. The civilian driver sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Vasquez Lopez is in custody at the hospital with minor injuries and is being charged by the Chatham County Police Department with vehicular homicide.”
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also said that the “vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest—a felony.”
“These dangerous tactics are putting people’s lives at risk. Fleeing from and resisting federal law enforcement is not only a crime but extraordinarily dangerous and puts oneself, our officers, and innocent civilians at risk. Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life,” McLaughlin added.
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