Chief Deputy Austin Garrett waits to testify against Randal Keeton, who is also shown
photo by Joseph Dycus
The man who led Chief Deputy Austin Garrett and the Sheriff’s Office on a lengthy December chase into Georgia had his charges bound over to the Grand Jury after a judge watched video of the man’s terrified daughter in the passenger seat.
“The only fortunate thing about what we just watched was that nobody was killed,” General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell said. “He endangered the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, during what we saw from that video.
There’s no doubt to this court that his daughter was injured emotionally, probably for the rest of her life. She was traumatized.”
Chief Deputy Garrett and Lt. Eliott Mahaffey showed their dashcam and bodycam footage of the incident. At two different times, Keeton drove out of tight quarters to continue the chase. Chief Deputy Garrett said he originally just flashed his lights at an erratically driving Keeton to get him to slow down.
“If they correct their driving, I don’t pull them over,” the witness said. “Lights usually have a calming effect.”
Instead of slowing down, Keeton sped up and drove through Hamilton Place Mall’s expansive parking lots, down the freeway, and into Georgia. Security footage from Hamilton Place Mall was shown that corroborated law enforcement’s account of the events. A law enforcement officer shot one of the tires of Keeton’s car, which created a cloud of smoke wherever the vehicle went.
“Dashcam and bodycam footage gives people a front-page view of what was really taking place, and it hits home on how dangerous a pursuit and vehicle is and how it can be used as a weapon,” Chief Deputy Garrett said.
Only after law enforcement hit the car and boxed it in did Keeton get out of the car and run away. Before he got out of the car, Keeton drove his car at a high speed in reverse down the road in an attempt to get away.
Law enforcement and bodycam footage said and showed that Keeton kept reaching for something on the small of his back as he ran away, which is where an empty holster was. Keeton, who is a convicted felon, had a gun and ammunition in the car.
Keeton’s daughter, who was along on the harrowing ride, later went to the emergency room after she told deputies that she could not breathe and felt dizzy. She provided a recorded audio statement to law enforcement that was played in court.
“I don’t know why he was going so fast. Then they hit my door and I started feeling dizzy,” the child said. “I was just sitting there panicking. I was so scared I couldn’t even scream.”
“This was a child so scared, she couldn’t even cry,” the prosecutor said afterward. “As a father with daughters, that makes me shudder.”
Deputy Garrett said that by the time law enforcement vehicles hit the vehicle in Georgia, the vehicles were going at a low rate of speed, and it did not endanger the child’s safety. He also noted that Keeton also drove into several other law enforcement vehicles during this chase.
“They did the appropriate thing, because it was a very low speed and it ended the pursuit,” Chief Deputy Garrett said. “The driver struck multiple vehicles, and that’s what those techniques are for, to end the pursuit. It ends the danger to the public because the driver is going to continue fleeing.”
After listening to the testimony and watching the video, Judge Sell bound the case over to the Grand Jury. She also doubled his bond to $350,000 after the prosecution made the argument that Keeton was a danger to society and a threat to escape.