College student tackles fleeing DUI crash suspect

DUNWOODY, Ga. — A Georgia Perimeter College student said his cross country running skills kicked into gear when he chased and tackled a suspected drunken driver running from the scene of a single-car crash.

"He just booked it. And I just chased him down the street," Brandon Morales told Channel 2's Tom Regan.

Morales said he was driving with his mother along Dunwoody Club Drive on Saturday afternoon when a car heading in the wrong direction nearly struck his car and another car ahead of him.

The oncoming driver lost control and crashed into trees on a residential property.

Morales said the driver initially said someone else was behind the wheel of the car and then ran off.

"In that moment, I just felt it was the right thing to get him," Morales said.

The student said he chased the man into a neighborhood off Dunwoody Club Drive.

"It was just like a football tackle. I just threw him down on the ground. I put his hand behind his back so he couldn't move," Morales told Regan.

Police arrived at the scene and arrested Daniel Hoover, 25. He was charged with DUI and other traffic offenses.

Morales' mother, Veronica Anderson, said she encouraged her 19-year-old son to chase down the driver.

"I'm just so proud of him. He did a really great job under the circumstances," Anderson said.

WSBTV