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An Opelika man died after being Tased by Lee County Sheriff deputies, following a high-speed chase on Thursday. 

Jeremy Jackson, 34, of Opelika led police on a chase that went well beyond 100 miles per hour, according to a press release from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. 

At approximately 6:57 p.m. CST on Thursday, Lee County deputies received a call from a motorist near Lee Road 251. The driver reported a white sedan swerving between the lanes of traffic, traveling east on US 280, east of the Salem community. From a license plate number, the deputies could locate the vehicle and confirm it was being operated recklessly a little after 7 p.m. CST.

When deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, the sedan accelerated and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle continued into Phenix City, along multiple roadways. 

Phenix City Police, Russell County Sheriff’s Deputies, and an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency trooper joined the pursuit as the speeds of the vehicles reached 130 miles an hour.

When the pursuit returned to US 280 West toward Opelika, spike strip tire deflation devices were successfully used, causing the sedan to stop. The vehicle neared 100 mph when it hit the device, ending up in the Bleecker community. The driver exited the vehicle and allegedly resisted arrest. 

The officers used a Taser device on “drive stun” mode to take the driver into custody and within a minute the driver was handcuffed. After a few seconds, officers noticed the driver was not breathing, according to the press release. An ambulance was called, CPR was initiated, and Narcan was given by the officers.

Jackson was transported to Piedmont Columbus Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Due to multiple agencies being involved, Opelika Police Department will be leading the investigation into the incident as they were not involved. Jackson will be taken to the Department of Forensic Sciences in Mongomery for a postmortem examination. When the investigation is completed, it will be submitted to the Lee County District Attorney and presented to a grand jury.