Alabama man accused of firing on police
Hollywood, Ala., officer says suspect started shooting after his vehicle was stopped for inoperative taillights
HOLLYWOOD, Ala. — A man who fired shots at a Hollywood, Ala., police cruiser at the end of a pursuit late Wednesday was captured Thursday morning by Scottsboro police in the same area where he disappeared.
The driver of the car, Michael Cody, 44, of Fort Payne, now faces two counts of attempted murder and one count of fleeing to avoid arrest after he was treated at Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro for wounds to his hand and chest, Hollywood police Chief Jason Hepler said.
The wounds came during an exchange of gunfire late Wednesday night with a Hollywood officer who attempted to stop Cody’s vehicle for taillights that were not working.
Hepler said a search was about to begin Thursday morning using rescue squad members and watercraft when Cody was discovered along Bellefonte Road near the Tennessee River.
“We were forming up a search group and Scottsboro’s police officers were already down there waiting for us,” Hepler said Thursday. “They heard him walking in the water.”
Cody was taken into custody at the scene where he crashed a car during the pursuit that ended at the Bellefonte Nuclear plant entrance gate Wednesday night. The area is substantially surrounded by water, and what isn’t water is dense trees and undergrowth.
“He fired several shots towards the officer and struck his car,” the chief said. Neither the officer nor a passe nger with him were injured, Hepler said.
Hepler said Cody fired shots that hit the police car in the hood and passenger side door.
The Alabama Bureau of Investigation — the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s criminal investigation arm — is investigating the officer-involved shooting portion of the incident. Hepler said local authorities will handle the investigation of the chase and the ensuing criminal charges against Cody.
Hepler said Cody has no prior criminal history locally, but he does have a criminal history in other counties.
“It’s still an active investigation,” Hepler said, noting more charges could come as the probe continues.
A search was conducted after the pursuit ended Wednesday night, but thick vegetation and lack of access prevented officers from finding Cody until daybreak, the chief said.