Police recover second carjacked vehicle

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile police have recovered the second pickup truck stolen during a carjacking last week. 

The driver of the other stolen truck led police on a chase that ended in a fiery crash at a Saraland gas station. 

Ruby Weathers said police and a wrecker showed up Sunday to remove a green pick-up truck someone had abandoned on the side of a vacant house on Dismukes Avenue in Prichard.    Weathers said whoever left the truck tried to conceal it.

"We couldn't see from this end because it was all the way to the back the way the wrecker pulled in," Weathers said.

Police said it was one of the two trucks stolen by carjackers last Tuesday in Mobile.  A police chase involving the trucks ended in a firey explosion that killed the driver of one of the vehicles, 25-year-old Leroy Anderson. 

The passenger who escaped with only minor injuries was later arrested. Patrick Smith, 17, is charged with robbery, theft, and second degree assault.  The driver of the truck found this weekend is still on the loose, but police say hopefully not for long.

"That's definitely the objective here is to process it for evidence, and hopefully that evidence will result in an arrest," Corporal Christopher Levy said.

Contractors were inspecting the only standing pump at the Gas in Go Convenience store Monday.  They said the pump will have to be demolished because the underground pipes were badly damaged by the explosion and fire.

The owner didn't want to talk on camera.  But the wife told FOX10 News business has been very slow since the crash.

I asked Mayor Sam Jones if the city could be held liable for any of the damage.  He said no. 

"I don't see that as the city having any liability in that area. Basically what we were doing was chasing a carjacker.  He made all the decisions on where he went wound up in Saraland.  And because he went to Saraland, we couldn't just stop chasing him and let him go.  But it's unfortunate that he turned into a service station, and that he really was actually responsible I guess for he own death because he was driving the car as I understand it."

The mayor said he's just glad there were no other injuries or deaths. 

"One of our officers could have very well been killed or hurt in that kind of activity.  That's what the job is about.  There's a lot of risk involved in it.  We're just happy that nobody who wasn't involved in the chase got hurt; and the person who actually caused the accident unfortunately wound up taking his own life as a result of that accident," the mayor said.

Patrick Smith remains in Metro Jail without bond. He will be in court for arraignment on Wednesday.