(MONTGOMERY)—Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of
Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction of Christian James Street, 25, of Monteagle, Tennessee,
for two counts of attempted murder of two police officers in Jackson County. Street was
convicted in Jackson County Circuit Court on November 17, 2021, for the attempted murder of
police officers Luke Ballard and Ryan McCarver.
The evidence at trial showed that on December 26, 2020, Officer Luke Ballard of the Stephenson
Police Department and Officer Ryan McCarver of the Bridgeport Police Department were on
patrol at approximately 2:00 a.m. when they observed a speeding vehicle and attempted to stop
it. During the chase, an occupant of the speeding vehicle fired 20 shots at the officers. Police
later recovered two guns from the car including a .40 caliber pistol that were found where Street
had been sitting.
Jackson County District Attorney Jason Peirce’s office successfully prosecuted this case and
obtained a guilty verdict. Street was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes. Street sought
to have his conviction reversed on appeal.
“Mr. Street attempted to take the life of two law enforcement officers and was correctly found
guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment,” said Attorney General Marshall. “He will have a
long time in prison to think about his crimes.”
The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process,
arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Street’s conviction. The Court did
so in a decision issued Friday, August 26, 2022.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Beth Poe for her successful
work on this case as well as Law Clerk Lydia Maxwell. He also thanked Jackson County District
Attorney Jason Pierce and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder
conviction.
Conviction for Attempted Murder of Police Officers in Jackson County Upheld
