Priceville police: Man attempted to elude police at over 140 mph

Feb. 3—A Bessemer man was charged with felony attempt to elude and several traffic offenses early Sunday morning after driving his BMW over 140 mph on Interstate 65, according to Priceville police.

Until two years ago, attempting to elude law enforcement was a misdemeanor, not a felony.

Xavier Charles Kynard, 21, passed Priceville police near mile marker 332 in his gray BMW 340i on southbound I-65 at a high rate of speed at 4:20 a.m., nearly striking another vehicle, according to Priceville police.

“The vehicle continued to rapidly accelerate at speeds over 140 mph (in a 70 mph zone) and turned off its lights,” police said in a statement. “Officers briefly lost visual of the vehicle as it continued to flee, recklessly cutting through interstate traffic.”

Kynard then exited I-65 and went east on Alabama 36, according to the statement, and Hartselle police and Morgan County sheriff’s deputies located the vehicle when Kynard pulled into a gas station, quickly leaving his vehicle and entering a convenience store, police said.

He was taken into custody at the convenience store.

Kynard was charged with felony fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless endangerment, no headlights at night, changing lanes without a proper signal, improper lane usage, following too close, reckless driving and failure to display insurance.

Kynard was booked at 7:14 a.m. Sunday and released after posting an $8,500 bond at 12:37 p.m., according to jail records.

Last month, Priceville police charged Tajinder Singh Mahil, 20, of Dacula, Georgia, with felony attempt to elude after he allegedly turned off the lights of his Mercedes and drove at speeds over 105 mph to flee an attempted traffic stop.

Priceville police said they tried to stop Mahil’s black Mercedes-Benz S550 for traffic violations as it traveled north on I-65, near mile marker 333.

The Mercedes then “rapidly accelerated and turned off its lights,” according to a Priceville police affidavit, and fled onto Alabama 67 South “at speeds over 105 mph in the 50-mph legal maximum speed limit zone.”

Until 2023, the maximum penalty for fleeing law enforcement in Alabama was a Class A misdemeanor. Changes to the state law made attempting to elude a Class C felony if, while fleeing, the offender strikes another vehicle or pedestrian or causes physical injury to any other person. Offenders who flee in excess of 20 mph over the speed limit or cause “serious” physical injury are subject to a Class B felony.

The law was sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, and had multiple co-sponsors, including Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle.

Mahil was charged with a Class C felony. The charging documents against Kynard were not available Sunday, so it is not clear whether he was charged with a Class B or Class C felony. A Class C felony is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, while a Class B has a maximum sentence of 20 years.

— eric@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2435

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