Surveillance video raises new questions about deadly dirt bike wreck

ATLANTA — Surveillance video is shedding new light on a deadly dirt bike crash that killed a 15-year-old as police say they're cracking down in illegal riding.

The man who hit the boy told Channel 2's Matt Johnson that he has concerns about the investigation.

Johnson started looking into the incident when several neighbors and the man actually at the center of the crash asked him to.

They believe the 15-year-old sped through an intersection because he was afraid of a state trooper following him.

[READ: Man says group of ATV riders damaged his car]

“It was a matter of seconds. Cars pulled up from everywhere,” the driver told Johnson, asking not to be identified.

Surveillance video shows the moment two teens on a dirt bike ran a red light and collided with a Dodge Charger.

Quemond Barkley, 15, died in the crash along Sylvan Road and Dill Avenue on Sunday evening.

The driver of the car said his frustrations are not with Barkley.

“What really happened was… I know that they were chasing those kids,” the driver said.

The Georgia State Patrol is the lead agency on the crash and a spokesperson said before the crash there was "not a pursuit."

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Video shows a GSP cruiser with lights on arriving at the scene on a city street 11 seconds after the crash.

“The Georgia State patrolman told me, he said they had been following them from Lee Street, they had chased them from Murphy Avenue and Lee Street,” the driver said.

GSP said a trooper spotted Barkley and a friend on a dirt bike on Lee Street a quarter mile away. That's when troopers said Barkley rode the bike away from the trooper and the trooper did not follow.

“I’ve just never seen a state patrol ride this area, so I’m pretty confident that they was behind them for a reason,” the driver told Johnson.

[READ: ATV riders caught police off guard, chief says]

The crash happened the same day Atlanta police and GSP launched a joint detail that netted 11 arrests and the seizure of two stolen guns. It's illegal to ride off-road vehicles on city streets.

The man in the Charger said he hopes these crashes can be avoided in the future.

“I think the guys should have had helmets on, that’s first, but if you see that they don’t have helmets on, just let them go,” the driver said.

The second teen on the bike has serious injuries but survived.

Atlanta police said they typically do not chase ATV and dirt bike riders but Georgia state troopers can use discretion.

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