After a multi-car pursuit on the Red Mountain Expressway on Tuesday, Jefferson County Constable Jonathan Barbee and several officers rescued a delirious woman.
The Mississippi woman was reportedly on her way to UAB to treat a condition called encephalitis, a brain inflammation that can cause bizarre behavior.
Barbee first noticed the woman acting strange when the woman approached him while he was doing traffic control for road construction crews in Homewood.
While she was stopped, he noticed her acting strangely. When speaking to her, the woman acted confused and paranoid, saying that she “didn’t belong here.” She also handed Barbee a business card to an assistant in the Mississippi Attorney General’s office.
He saw the woman as a danger to the construction crew and other drivers, so he asked her to pull over. As he called for backup, the woman drove away.
The officers followed her through several streets until finally using a box maneuver to force her to stop south of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.
No vehicles or property were damaged during this event.
Homewood Fire and Rescue then transported the woman by ambulance to the UAB emergency room for evaluation.
“I detained this woman because I felt she was a danger to the construction crew and other motorists due to her behavior,” Barbee said. “When I spoke with her, she was obviously confused but did not seem intoxicated.”
Barbee contacted the Mississippi Attorney General’s office during the pursuit in an attempt to gather more information on the woman and was told they had no knowledge of her.
He was later told that the woman’s mother had already contacted the Homewood Police Department describing her daughter’s confused behavior and urging them to look out for her.
