SMITH COUNTY — A Thursday night police pursuit ended in tragedy.
Officers were in pursuit of Sean Waite, 34, who was arrested after leading Tyler Police Officers on a chase while riding a motorcycle, resulting in a wreck that killed Alicia Ann Adams, 28.
According to the Smith County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called out to help Tyler police on Highway 31 West toward Loop 49.
County communications officials were told that the Tyler Police Department was chasing a black motorcycle that was heading west on Highway 31.
Waite kept passing several vehicles in an "unsafe manner" in the motorcycle, trying to get away from law enforcement. Constables then got in front of the chase to stop the motorcycle.
Waite then slowed down and changed directions to begin driving south on Loop 49, continuing the chase as he exited to head west on Highway 31.
As he was getting closer to Farm to Market Road 2661, Waite encountered traffic. While trying to slow down, Waite lost control of the motorcycle and he and Adams were both flung from it.
Police said Adams died instantly at the scene from blunt force trauma.
When is a high-speed chase is necessary?
The traffic code in Texas allows peace officers to operate emergency equipment, like a police car, if there's a high-chance of someone being hurt, an imminent threat to safety or a high-speed pursuit.
Smith County Sergeant Darrell Coslin said it requires that the officers stay safe in the pursuit. In the case of Thursday's crash, he said officers deemed it safe.
"This particular pursuit incurred in a sparsely unpopulated area," he said. "It was daytime. The road surface was in good condition. It wasn't raining. There were no pedestrians in the area."
Coslin said it's all based on judgment. For example, a high speed chase would never happen in a school zone.
"Are they doing something that would make this chase more inherently dangerous that if they weren't? If that behavior was going on, an officer of a controlling supervisor could terminate the pursuit," Coslin said.
Authorities put Waite in custody and took him to the Smith County Jail where he was charged with two counts of Evading Arrest and Driving While Intoxicated.
The sheriff's office also said he also had multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest.
Since Adams ended up passing away after the chase as a "direct result of Waite's actions," authorities got an arrest warrant charging Waite with Murder.
His bond for the murder charge is set at $750,000.