Driver Crashes After 'Wild' Police Chase

ATLANTA — A high-speed chase ended Friday morning when the driver crashed into a huge Dumpster and had to be taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta police said.

The chase ended in the 1500 block of Bouldercrest Road in southeast Atlanta.

Investigators said the incident started as a routine traffic stop near Moreland Avenue and Interstate 20 after an officer witnessed the driver throw something out his window.

Police told Channel 2 Action News reporter Mike Petchenik that the driver refused to pull over, so officers chased his Nissan Altima to a DeKalb County apartment complex, where he crashed into a Dumpster.

That's when police said the driver ran from the car. A watch commander told Petchenik that officers later found drugs in the car.

Petchenik gathered witness accounts while at the scene. LaTamara Jackson told Petchenik that the noise jarred her out of bed and to her window.

"I heard the commotion of a whole bunch of police jumping on someone," said Jackson. "I heard the young man say, ‘Stop, stop -- you don't have to hit me like this. You got me, you got me, stop."

Petchenik shared those accounts and got a response from officials. A watch commander at zone three told Petchenik that the driver was resisting arrest. She also told him that she plans to read over the arrest report to be sure that officers followed proper procedure.

She said if anyone makes claims of excessive force, the department would investigate.

Police haven't released the driver's name.

WSBTV