Atlanta

Suspect on the run after high-speed chase in stolen car shuts down busy Atlanta road, GSP says

ATLANTA — A suspect is on the run after leading law enforcement on a wild chase that left multiple people with serious injuries, according to Georgia State Patrol.

The chase started around 3 a.m. near the downtown connector and ended on MLK Jr. Drive. Troopers shut down the road as they investigated.

A GSP spokesperson told Channel 2 Action News that at around 3 a.m., troopers attempted to stop a car on Interstate 20 Westbound.

The car then exited onto Windsor St before re-entering I-20 to speed away from troopers. The car then exited onto MLK Jr. Dr. before it crashed near Verbena Street.

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Following the crash, troopers began to give commands to the driver, who then opened his door and ran into the woods.

Troopers said the driver reached for something in his waistband as he exited the car. As he ran into the woods, troopers used a Taser on him twice, according to officials.

After a “short scuffle” with a trooper, the suspect hopped over a fence, escaping the scene. The suspect still has not been found.

GSP said that there were other passengers in the car at the time of the crash and two of them were seriously injured, while another person suffered minor injuries.

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Police said the car involved in the chase was reported stolen out of Atlanta. They also found two guns in the car, including one that was stolen.

James Edwards works at a hair salon next to the crash scene. “If that pole wouldn’t have stopped (the car), it probably would have been in this building this morning, sure would have,” he said. “Somebody could have gotten easily killed right here this morning just walking down the street.”

The crash scattered debris all across his parking lot, and he spent time Thursday morning cleaning it up. “It was just in total disarray,” he said.

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