HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The sheriff’s office said a driver passed out behind the wheel of a running car took off when a deputy woke him up, starting a high-speed chase and five-vehicle crash.
A Hall County Sheriff’s Office deputy approached a Buick Verano in front of the Chattahoochee Baptists Association and saw the driver’s foot on the brake while the car was in drive.
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The driver, later identified as 28-year-old Joey Levi Ledbetter, was ordered to put the car in park but instead drove away at a “high rate of speed.”
The deputy followed Ledbetter until he eventually stopped in a left travel lane. The deputy pulled alongside Ledbetter and was exiting his patrol vehicle when Ledbetter abruptly turned, striking his front bumper.
Ledbetter continued driving and ran red lights in what Hall County Sheriff’s Office called a “dangerous and reckless manner,” at over 90 mph.
He struck another vehicle before taking off and spinning out of control. The initial impact caused three other vehicles to be struck.
Ledbetter was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and other charges related to the chase and crash.
He and one of the drivers and a passenger in another vehicle involved were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Georgia State Patrol said.
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