ATLANTA — A passenger has died and a driver is in critical condition after a car crashed into a power pole and caught fire. Investigators said two were car break-in suspects who sped off from a traffic stop.
The crash happened around 2:50 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Boulevard SE and Mead Street in the Grant Park neighborhood.
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Georgia State Patrol said an Atlanta police officer was trying to pull over two car break-in suspects in a white Infiniti Q50 when the driver sped off.
The driver hit a pedestrian crossing, lost control of the car and crashed into a power pole, according to GSP.
Video from a neighbor shows what happened after the car nearly split in two and caught fire.
You can hear two Atlanta police officers trying to get to the passenger as a neighbor holds a flashlight.
They eventually get the passenger out and away from the burning car,saving him. He was rushed to the hospital, but later died.
The driver had life-threatening injuries but survived. He’s expected to face a long list of charges, likely including murder charges, Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach reported.
David Franklin could only watch from across the street.
“Now seeing it, realizing car split in half, guess they were racing north up Boulevard,” he said.
Gehlbach followed developments from the scene during Channel 2 Action News This Morning starting at 4:30 a.m.
He saw CSI collected evidence, including a gun and cash near the car. Another gun was also taken into evidence, as well as cash and items used for car break-ins.
The crash also knocked out power to 1,200 Georgia Power customers. Gehlbach reported around 6 a.m. that all power had been restored.
Georgia State Patrol is now investigating the deadly crash, as neighbors call the two officers, who battled thick smoke to pull the suspect from the burning car, heroes.
“So they did whatever they had to do to get the guy out of the car, and he was immobile ... don’t think he could move. So they had to reach in while the car was fiery, electrical lines down … just very heroic, very heroic,” Franklin said.
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