Police: Dispute over parking spot leads to chase, crash

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A dispute over a parking spot turned into a wild chase and crash in a busy shopping district, Alpharetta police say.

Michael Pond told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik that he, his wife and two small children were pulling out of a parking lot Nov. 26 when he saw two cars speeding past.

“It was scary, startling to see someone going that fast down that road,” he said. “It was shocking. It really was.”

Pond said he saw a Chevy Camaro cut off a Mercedes moments later, and the Mercedes lost control and crashed in the median at the intersection of North Point Drive and Mansell Road.

“I saw the Camaro heading down the road,” he said. “I followed him and called 911 and just reported his license plate.”

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Alpharetta Department of Public Safety spokesman George Gordon said the incident started after a man and a woman got into an argument over a parking spot outside the North Point Mall Dillard’s.

“Somehow words were exchanged. The female stated the male got out and threw water on her,” said Gordon.

Gordon said the man accused the woman of making obscene gestures at him.

Gordon said Jade Pearson and Kayla Mathis drove out of the parking lot and sped down North Point Parkway going more than 100 mph.

“They placed everybody around them in danger,” he said. “He or her could have T-boned someone at that intersection and we could have had fatalities.”

Pearson and Mathis were arrested and charged with aggressive driving.

Petchenik reached Pearson by phone, but he said he had no comment. An email sent to Mathis was not answered by Monday evening.

Pond said he’s thankful that he hadn’t yet pulled out onto the road when the pair sped by.

“If I had pulled out just a few minutes before, they would have run into the back of us and could have potentially hurt my family. That would have been terrible,” he said. “The police said it was a lot of bruised egos but no injuries.”

Cox Media Group