Cash, cocaine found after Covington Hwy. chase

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A police chase in DeKalb County has ended with one suspect in custody and another on the run.

Georgia State Patrol officers showed Channel 2's Ashley Swann a bag filled with cash and cocaine they said was in the back of a Chrsyler 300 they attempted to stop for speeding on Interstate 285 on Saturday afternoon. The driver took off and a chase ensued off the interstate down Covington Highway.

That's where the 22-year-old driver with a passenger inside crashed into a church parking lot at South Indian Creek Drive. The passenger escaped and the driver ran across the street into a hair salon.

"The way he came in here, it just didn't give me a good energy," said Adrian Spellen, whose mother owns the salon, where he was dropping off his kids.

"He got all the way up to the front door and I followed behind him," said Spellen. "I knew he didn't need to be here."

Spellen, who is a martial arts instructor, said the man was peeking through the front door at police when he decided to act.

"He was thinking about closing the door but that wasn't going to happen," Spellen said.

"I said 'Hey. You can go,' and that's when I pushed him out," Spellen said.

Officers quickly arrested the man much to the relief of Spellen and everyone else inside the salon.

"It was a calling I was here at the right place, at the right time," Spellen said.

"I did what was necessary to protect my family and the people that I love in here. That's all," added Spellen.

GSP has not identified the driver or the passenger allegedly involved in the chase. The 22-year-old driver, meanwhile, faces a number of charges, including drug trafficking, felony fleeing police, speeding and reckless driving. Police searched several hours by air and on ground for his passenger, but they have not found him.

Spellen, the man who helped capture the driver, may look familiar to WSB-TV viewers. He stood trial in DeKalb County on child rape charges in November.  The judge declared a mistrial due to a feuding jury that failed to reach a verdict. The court freed Spellen, although the county district attorney said his office will try Spellen a second time.

Check back for updates.

WSBTV