ATLANTA — Police investigating a suspicious vehicle along Howell Mill Road led to a dramatic arrest right in the middle of I-75.
Channel 2 Action News first showed you video of the man’s arrest during Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and since then, we have been working to get details about the arrest.
Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter found out on Friday that the man had been arrested before in Fulton County.
People she spoke with said it was shocking to see a foot chase cut over the interstate.
“I said to my wife, ‘Come look at this.’ But it was shocking,” driver Bobby Lichtinstein said.
Atlanta police said around 6:30 p.m., officers tried to pull over a Ford Expedition when the driver took off, even after a tire-deflation device was deployed.
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The SUV eventually stopped on I-75 near the Moores Mill Road exit, but investigators said the driver then took off on foot, first into the woods, then across all Northbound lanes of the interstate.
“I just don’t know why you think you could outrun someone on the highway,” driver Ashley Apro said.
Officers said a Taser was deployed multiple times, but it didn’t stop him.
The chase ended with police taking Detavious Parks into custody in the middle of I-75 during rush hour, in Buckhead.
“Certainly not what we like around here,” Lichtinstein said.
“That’s a lot of unhappy traffic right there,” driver Jake Cawkwell said.
Police told Kleinpeter that Parks now faces multiple charges, including fleeing and eluding, felony obstruction, and marijuana distribution-related offenses.
Investigators also said he was wanted on an outstanding aggravated assault warrant from the Georgia Tech Police Department.
Residents and workers in the area say they’re thankful for APD’s quick response to a chaotic scene.
“What I’m happy to hear is that they’re on top of it and they take that stuff super seriously,” Cawkwell said.
Parks was arrested previously in Fulton County in 2015 and 2020.
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