Advocates call for end to high-speed chases after deadly Little Five Points crash

ATLANTA - Advocates are pushing for charges after a chase involving the Georgia State Patrol ended with an innocent 19-year-old driver dead in Little Five Points.

The group plans to hold a press conference near the site of the deadly crash to call for an end to high-speed chases and immediate changes to the Georgia State Patrol's pursuit policy.

The backstory:

On Monday, investigators say a GSP trooper tried to stop 23-year-old Faduma Mohamedon on Interstate 20 eastbound near Boulevard after observing her speeding and weaving through traffic. When she failed to pull over, the trooper initiated a pursuit that exited the highway.

The chase ended at the intersection of Moreland Avenue and McLendon Avenue. Officials say Mohamed ran a red light, hitting a Honda driven by 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke. The impact pushed the car nearly a block from the point of collision, witnesses said. 

Firefighters used extraction equipment to reach the driver, but Schoenke could not be saved.

Drew Charter School shared the following statement with families:

"It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of one of our former students, alumnus Cooper Schoenke, a member of Drew’s Class of 2023.  Cooper passed as an innocent bystander in a fatal car accident on April 14, 2025, in Atlanta’s Five Points neighborhood. This loss is deeply felt throughout our school community.  Cooper attended Drew since second grade, and the Schoenke family has been a longstanding and active part of the Drew community.  

Officers took Mohamed into custody at the scene and transported her to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

What they're saying:

Following Schoenke's death, a group that includes state Reps. Park Cannon, Gabriel Sanchez, and Eric Bell, Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari, and Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs, called on the Georgia State Patrol to make changes to ensure this never happens again.

In a release announcing the press conference, the group says that the crash was the latest in a "growing pattern of deadly, preventable tragedies resulting from high-speed chases often initiated by GSP over low-level traffic infractions."

The group cited a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that showed that pursuits involving the GSP have led to more than 1,900 injuries and 63 deaths in the last five years.

"GSP’s pursuit policy isn’t about public safety—it’s about projecting power, no matter the cost to human life. The Georgia State Patrol is operating with outdated policies that endanger the public and create a ‘Dukes of Hazards’-like environment on our streets," Devin Barrington-Ward, the director of communications at the National Police Accountability Project, said. "There is no justification for taking innocent lives, particularly in the pursuit of minor infractions. We’re calling on state leaders to act now and put public safety before the need for speed."

Lawmakers and advocates want the GSP to restrict high-speed pursuits to cases involving violent felonies, requiring approval before beginning or continuing a chase, and permitting high-speed pursuits and PIT maneuvers in highly populated areas, residential neighborhoods, and in major pedestrian corridors.

"Another family is grieving because of a policy that prioritizes reckless speed over public safety. The people of Atlanta, especially those in District 58, deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods—not endangered by state police pursuits. It’s time for responsible leadership and immediate action," Cannon said.

Local lawmakers and advocates came together Wednesday afternoon to call for change. Schoenke is the second innocent driver killed during a police pursuit in Atlanta in April.

"Chases should not happen, chases are not safe," said Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari. 

 "This is not ‘Need for Speed’," said Devin Barrington-Ward with the National Police Accountability Project. "We are not playing Playstation, we are playing with people's lives."

His mother released the following statement:

"We are grieving the loss of our beloved Cooper, a kind and loving son, brother and friend. He was a gentle soul with a big heart that matched his height. He had a dry sense of humor and was a master of comedic timing. He loved music, and that his job at the Fox Theatre allowed him to be immersed in it. He grew up in Atlanta. His grandfather John Patrick Crecine, the former president of Georgia Tech, helped bring the Olympics to Atlanta. Like his grandfather, Cooper loved this city and the Little Five Points neighborhood. He cared deeply about equality, this community and his neighbors.Any mother losing a child is an unthinkable tragedy, made worse only by the fact that this fatal accident could have been prevented. In honor of Cooper, we’ll be advocating for responsible change to GSP’s pursuit policy in hopes of preventing even one more innocent life being lost."

Schoenke had an entire life left to live, but investigators say it was cut short this week after a woman being chased hit Schoenke’s car. "Cooper was just a gem, he was an incredible person," said Kate Weaver. "He did nothing wrong, he didn't deserve this, he deserved the world and he had such a bright future ahead of him."

Weaver is a close family friend. She says Schoenke loved music and working at the Fox Theatre. The Fox brought flowers and left a sign at the scene to pay tribute. 

Weaver says this loss is hitting Schoenke's mom hard who now wants pursuit policies changed. "A mother losing her only son is unfathomable and Ii think it's only made worse by the fact that it was preventable," Weaver said.

The other side:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's office released the following statement:

"It is heartbreaking to see such a young life taken at the hands of a criminal seeking to evade justice.Let’s be clear: the leaders of the rejected Defund the Police movement have another bad idea and by misidentifying the Department of Public Safety Commissioner, have proven once again that they lack basic understanding of the facts.Those who break the law and act recklessly are to blame for the tragic and needless loss of these lives, and it’s shameful that anyone would seek to diminish the actions of those who caused these deaths and shift blame onto those who put their lives on the line every day to safeguard our communities. It is thanks to the brave and dedicated work of law enforcement and the full rejection of these short-sighted arguments that we have seen a historic drop in crime in our Capital city." – Garrison Douglas, Kemp Spokesperson

What you can do:

A GoFundMe account has been set up.

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