ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A woman’s family is helping lead the charge for policy changes within Georgia State Patrol pursuits after she died during a chase Monday.

Chatanna Patterson, 51, was killed Monday after Fre’Shun Tyai White, 26, hit her while being chased by the Georgia State Patrol (GSP).

Patterson’s family told Atlanta News First she was a beloved teacher, mother and grandmother, “whose kindness touched many.”

Her family said she was the glue that held them together. She is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

Patterson’s family has started an online fundraiser to help with funeral costs.

White, his passenger and the driver of the parked car were seriously injured, according to officials.

“No one should die as an innocent bystander to a high-speed pursuit. It doesn’t make sense,” said Devin Barrington-Ward, the managing director of Black Futurists Group, who is speaking out against high-speed chases. “The individuals that they are oftentimes engaged in pursuits over the only suspected crime at the time is speeding or some sort of traffic violation.”

According to the Georgia State Patrol’s pursuit policy, which was last revised in 2019, officers must exercise great care while considering the nature of the offense and existing traffic conditions.

The policy states that it must be understood not every violator will be caught, and that in some situations the most professional decision is to end the pursuit.

“This woman’s family will never be able to see her, will ever be able to see her again, because of the actions of the individual who they were pursuing, but also the actions of law enforcement. And I believe that law enforcement should be held to a higher standard than the individuals that they are chasing,” Barrington-Ward said.

After a deadly Georgia State Patrol chase last year killed 19-year-old Cooper Schoenke, the Atlanta City Council unanimously passed a resolution that called for pursuit policy changes within GSP.

The resolution is purely symbolic — Atlanta City Council members have no authority to force state entities to change their policies.

The resolution asks GSP to call off chases that lead troopers through densely populated areas, like the pedestrian-heavy part of the Little Five Points neighborhood where Schoenke was struck and killed. It also asks them to reserve high-speed chases only for serious crimes, like murders or kidnappings in progress, as well as avoid using pit maneuvers that entail an officer bumping the back of a suspect’s vehicle to slow or stop it.

However, Barrington-Ward is still hoping for changes with GSP.

“That this was avoidable, and that if leaders had listened to us last year when the Atlanta city council passed a resolution urging state leaders to revise its pursuit policy, that we would not be here,” said Barrington-Ward.

In a statement, GSP said, “While the investigation remains ongoing, this incident serves as a painful reminder of the dangers created when drivers make reckless decisions and flee from law enforcement.”

Patterson’s family has started an online fundraiser to help with funeral costs.

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