South Fulton County

Police searching for two drivers after pedestrian struck, killed

By Nicole Carr, WSB-TV and Rikki Klaus
By Nicole Carr, WSB-TV and Rikki Klaus

EAST POINT, Ga. — Police are searching for two vehicles possibly linked to a hit-and-run that left a man dead in East Point Saturday.

The accident happened at Cleveland and Sylvan Rd. Police told Channel 2 Action News that the cars hit the victim, who was walking along the busy street, and drove away. The victim died at the scene. The victim's identity has not been released.

Police are searching a Ford Fusion with left front-end damage and a missing left mirror and an older model Green Buick Century.

A business owner who discovered the man told Channel 2's Nicole Carr that the victim was dragged for almost a quarter-mile.

"All night, it's just been...ever since it happened, it's just stayed with me," Wilbur Yancy said.

Yancy was opening his coin laundromat along Cleveland Avenue soon after he opened another location nearby. He saw a man's body on the edge of a lot and called 911 when he saw an ambulance.

"They were told a vehicle was dragging a body so they were coming back up the street to look for a body, at which time I flagged them down," Yancy told Carr.

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Yancy's business is about a quarter of a mile from the intersection, where the man was hit, meaning his body was dragged into Atlanta city limits.

Yancy and police viewed surveillance from cameras that led to identifying the car they are looking for.

"How could they have not known that they were dragging a body with a vehicle for that distance?" he said.

People who live and work in the area told Channel 2's Rikki Klaus they were sad to hear the news, especially around the holidays.

"I'm sorry that it happened," a neighbor said. "It's Christmas time. I'm just sorry."

Neighbors said the victim often walked across Cleveland Avenue to run errands for them.

“Somebody in their right mind would have stopped. They had to be drunk or on drugs or something to just keep on going and know they hit something and had to hit hard,” said neighbor Brenda Wright.

Carlton Green cuts hair in a barber shop near the intersection. He said people were talking about the incident all day inside the business.

"It hurts," Green said. "It hurts because somebody lost a family member, a friend, a daddy, father, cousin, sister. I don't know who it was, but I'm sorry. God bless the family.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS.

Cox Media Group

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