U-Haul driver crashes into Gwinnett house after leading officers on chase, police say

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A home in Gwinnett County has some serious damage after a police chase ended with a U-Haul truck smashing into it.

The impact of that truck hitting the house off Highway 78 Sunday night was loud enough to wake up everyone inside the home and every neighbor too.

A police stopping maneuver sent the truck right into this family’s garage but thankfully no one was hurt.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

“I heard a big boom. It knocked me out of the bed,” witness Marie Freeman said. “I’m very thankful it was the garage. Everything is replaceable except for the person.”

It was how a police chase ended that involved two police departments and a burglary suspect still on the run.

“I saw the young man. I don’t know how he got out. After I noticed the damage today, and he just ran and he ran through the woods,” Freeman said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Family of man shot and killed on interstate in DeKalb County wants answers
• Frustrated brides say Atlanta-based wedding photography business failed to deliver
• Multiple people shot outside of AUC library after Clark Atlanta homecoming gathering

Loganville police said they tried to stop somebody who was cutting the cords to AC units and loading them into a U-Haul truck when the chase began on the highway.

During the chase, two units actually fell out of the moving U-Haul and landed on the highway. State troopers got involved until the chase ended in Snellville.

“I thought it was on the highway. I never thought it would run into a house,” Freeman said.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Troopers said it took three stopping maneuvers before a Loganville officer hit the U-Haul truck, causing it to end up hitting the side of the house.

The suspect was able to get away in the woods at around 11 p.m., even after a K-9 unit showed up.

The U-Haul missed the bedrooms of the house and neighbors are relieved no one inside the home was hurt.

“What’s important is that they were safe, not necessarily the house,” Freeman said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Man shot after suspect approaches car in Atlanta and opens fire, police say

©2022 Cox Media Group