A 23-year-old woman shot and seriously wounded Sunday on the Watterson Expressway by a state commercial vehicle enforcement officer has been charged with attempted murder of a police officer.
Alicia Scott was in serious but stable condition Monday at University Hospital, according to Kentucky State Police, which oversees the officers who enforce commercial vehicle laws.
Kentucky State Police allege that Scott pulled a gun after leading officers on a chase through the Louisville area.
Before the shooting Sunday, Louisville Metro Police responded to multiple reports of incidents involving Scott, but police were unable to find her, police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said on Monday. At about 2:30 p.m., a woman allegedly told authorities that her vehicle was shot at multiple times by Scott near Southside and Kenwood drives.
Police spotted Scott's vehicle at the Watterson Expressway and Taylor Boulevard. She allegedly refused to stop, starting a police chase that included a trip into Southern Indiana and back into Louisville. Two commercial vehicle enforcement officers—Sgt. Scott Koch and Officer Jared Newberry—answered a call for assistance from Louisville Metro Police. The two officers stopped Scott's vehicle on the Watterson on the ramp from Newburg Road, state police said.
Scott allegedly pulled a handgun; Koch then shot her, state police said.
Kentucky State Police are investigating.
As the name implies, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division is generally responsible for enforcing traffic laws on commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailers, said Trooper Jeff Gregory, a spokesman for Kentucky State Police's Post 4, which includes Louisville.
The CVE force is made up of sworn police officers who are trained at the state's criminal justice training department in Richmond, Gregory said. Koch and Newberry are based in Elizabethtown, where Post 4's headquarters are, but work primarily in Louisville.
Koch will be on administrative leave for about two weeks, said Sgt. Michael Webb, a spokesman for KSP. He's worked for the agency for seven years.
Kentucky State Police have also charged Scott with fleeing and evading police, wanton endangerment, reckless driving and speeding.
Louisville Metro Police continue to investigate the incident prior to the chase and shooting, Mitchell said. Scott could face more charges, such as attempted murder, stemming from the earlier reports.
Police have yet to release a report on the incident.
