Photo Courtesy of Boykins Family/ 11Alive
On September 10, a 12-year-old boy, staying with his grandma in Paulding County, Georgia, was killed in a car crash following a high-speed police chase.
11Alive reported that his grandmother had permitted Leden Boykin to go with the neighbor, Charlie Moore, and his young son to the man’s job.
On the way back home, troopers stated that Moore was pulled over for speeding and did not show his driver’s license and instead drove off. They added that Moore was “driving recklessly” for 3.5 miles.
“The pursuit continued … at a high rate of speed, and the driver was driving recklessly. The trooper terminated the chase … by using the Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT). The Kia exited the roadway and overturned in a ditch. The rear seat passenger was unrestrained and suffered fatal injuries,” police said.
Leden’s family claims that troopers knew there were children in the car.
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“What I do know is, when you see those kids, your decision-making process is supposed to kick in,” Anthony Boykins, Leden’s father, said. “But couldn’t they put a roadblock up and protect those kids? They couldn’t figure out any other way than to flip that car over?”
Leden’s mother, Toni Franklin-Boykins, told NBC News, “He was robbed of his life. It was a very bad decision on their part.”
In regards to the high-speed chase, she said, “They could have called that off.”
Leden’s family claims their son’s body was released for an autopsy without their consent and that they are unaware of the location or when it will be returned to them.
Moore is currently facing charges from the incident, including murder during the commission of a felony, first-degree homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault against a peace officer, and a DUI after driving with an open container in his car.