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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – A man with a history of fleeing law enforcement and assaulting officers is in custody with no bond following a high-speed, multi-agency pursuit that left several officers injured and shut down a portion of Interstate 65 on Wednesday afternoon, July 2.

The suspect, an Alabaster resident identified as Cody Blake Wilson, 36, is accused of leading law enforcement on a dangerous chase that began in Pelham and ended in Calera. The incident involved at least seven law enforcement agencies and resulted in injuries to two Calera police officers, a Pelham officer and an Alabama State Trooper.

Wilson, who was already out on bond for a 2024 incident in which he allegedly broke into a woman’s home, stole her car and rammed it into a police cruiser, is now facing a new slate of felony charges. Among them are attempted murder, aggravated assault, two counts of second-degree assault, escape, receiving stolen property, theft and attempting to elude. A judge revoked his previous bond following Wednesday’s incident, citing that Wilson “represents a grave safety threat to himself and others.”

“Yesterday, our detectives received information late in the afternoon that a stolen vehicle was possibly in the 3000 block of Pelham Parkway,” said Pelham Police Chief Edward Delmore. “Two of our detectives encountered that vehicle and attempted to take the individual into custody. They had him at gunpoint, but he fled the scene.”

Marked patrol units joined the chase as Wilson headed south on I-65. At mile marker 228, an Alabama State Trooper attempted to deploy spike strips. According to video reviewed by authorities, Wilson appeared to intentionally swerve toward and strike the trooper, resulting in a glancing blow. The trooper was later treated for minor injuries.

Wilson continued south until he was PIT maneuvered by another trooper near mile marker 233, just short of the Shelby County Airport exit. After crashing, Wilson fled on foot.

“He began to fight and resist arrest,” Delmore said. “A Calera officer sustained some relatively minor injuries as a result of that part of the incident.”

Wilson was transported to Shelby Baptist Medical Center by ambulance. A Pelham officer accompanied him. During transport, Wilson—despite being handcuffed—freed himself from the stretcher and tried to climb into the front seat of the ambulance in an attempt to steal the vehicle.

“Fortunately, the keys weren’t in the ambulance, and our officers were able to subdue him,” Delmore said. “One of our officers in that scuffle sustained a minor injury to his shoulder.”

Pelham Detective Iliana Hayakahua confirmed the list of formal charges and emphasized the coordinated efforts between agencies.

“A lot of times when it’s a multi-jurisdiction case, people think it could be chaotic,” Hayakahua said. “The wonderful thing we had in this case is that we were able to communicate… At the end of the day, everybody has the same goal, and it’s to keep the citizens of Alabama safe.”

Hayakahua confirmed that Wilson had the intent to hit the trooper.

“(The trooper) was trying to deploy the spike strips, and Mr. Wilson decided to hit the trooper instead of running over the strips. What we saw in this case was intentional,” she said.

Calera Police Chief David Hyche said this is the second time in less than a year that his officers have had to pursue Wilson. In the prior encounter, a Calera officer was injured and remains on light duty. Hyche expressed deep concern over repeat violent offenders cycling in and out of custody.

“We shouldn’t have to deal with the same offenders over and over and endanger these officers’ lives, but the trend continues,” Hyche said. “I am grateful that Alabama now has a felony for attempting to elude law enforcement, but that has clearly not solved the problem.”

Due to the nature of the arrest, one Calera officer is undergoing tests for communicable diseases after being stuck with a needle during the struggle. Another was bitten. All injuries sustained in the incident are reported to be non-life-threatening, and all officers are expected to make full recoveries.

Chief Delmore called for judicial reform, expressing frustration with current bond policies that, in his view, allow dangerous offenders to reoffend before facing trial.

“This is a guy that, if he had not been apprehended, would have hurt someone without question,” Delmore said. “There’s a debate nationwide about whether a cash bond should be lower or eliminated. In this case—or in cases like this—I’d like to see a policy change where individuals who are charged with what could be considered a violent crime remain in jail until trial.”

The pursuit and arrest involved coordinated support from multiple departments, including:

• Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA)
• Pelham Police Department
• Calera Police Department
• Alabaster Police Department
• Chilton County Sheriff’s Office
• Jemison Police Department
• Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit
• Shelby County District Attorney’s Office

“This was a strong example of teamwork and coordination between multiple law enforcement agencies,” the Calera Police Department wrote in a statement. “We are very lucky that the trooper struck by the suspect’s vehicle was not killed or more severely injured.”

Wilson remains in the Shelby County Jail without bond. Prosecutors have confirmed that they will continue to pursue legal action to ensure he is not released prior to trial.

More updates on the case will be posted as information becomes available at Shelbycountyreporter.com.