The University of Alabama suspended defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., the namesake son of a former NFL first-round pick and Crimson Tide alum, after he was arrested and accused of speeding away from police, officials said Monday.
The younger Kirkpatrick, 19, of Gadsden, Alabama, was driving a white Mercedes sedan "at a high rate of speed and continuing to accelerate without regard to heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic" on University Boulevard at about 2:44 a.m. Saturday, university Police Officer Christopher Fuerch wrote in a complaint.
Fuerch and two other university police officers were on foot and told Kirkpatrick to pull over, according to the court document.
Fuerch grabbed the car door's handle and his two colleagues had their hands on the hood before those officers "moved out of the path of the vehicle as it sped off," the complaint said.
"I visually identified the driver as UA Student D'Andre Javon Kirkpatrick, with whom I have had multiple interactions," Fuerch wrote.
Kirkpatrick and his lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, with this information I have at this time, talked to Dre and we need to indefinitely suspend him,” coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters Monday. “He understands there are consequences that come with his actions.”
Kirkpatrick has played in all eight games for the Crimson Tide this season, recording nine tackles and one pass breakup.
Alabama did not play over the weekend as the Tide enjoyed a bye week following its Oct. 25 win at South Carolina and was looking forward to its next contest against visiting LSU on Saturday night.
Kirkpatrick's father, also named Dre Kirkpatrick, 36, played 10 seasons in the NFL, eight of them for the Cincinnati Bengals. He picked off 13 passes in his long career, returning a pair of them for touchdowns.
The elder Kirkpatrick also played at Alabama and was named to the all-SEC team in 2011 before he was chosen with the 17th overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft.
Alabama rolled to a 21-0 win over LSU on Jan. 9, 2012, in New Orleans to capture the national championship that season. The elder Kirkpatrick made four tackles, two of them for losses.
