TWIGGS COUNTY, Ga. — A high-speed chase that stretched across three Middle Georgia counties ended in a deadly crash early Friday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Twiggs County deputies said the chase began around 2 a.m. Friday, when a patrol deputy spotted a vehicle parked at a closed gas station off Sgoda Road.
After running the vehicle’s tag through dispatch, the deputy learned the car did not have valid insurance and tried to initiate a traffic stop on the eastbound Interstate 16 ramp.
Deputies say the driver initially stopped but then suddenly sped off, beginning a chase that reached speeds of about 130 miles per hour.
More deputies and members of the sheriff’s Criminal Suppression Unit joined the chase as it moved onto Interstate 16.
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Laurens County deputies later joined the chase and tried to deploy spike strips as the vehicle crossed into Laurens County, but the driver avoided them and kept driving.
Deputies then attempted a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. During that attempt, authorities say the suspect fired multiple rounds at deputies’ vehicles before regaining control and continuing eastbound on the interstate.
The chase eventually moved into Treutlen County, where deputies say the suspect lost control of the vehicle. The car overturned, bringing the chase to an end.
Authorities say the driver was arrested and taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The passenger in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, according to deputies.
Their ages and identities were not released.
The incident remains under investigation.
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