UPDATE: GSP says chase from Dooly County to Macon ends in crash, 2 arrests
The suspects fled on foot after crashing into a trooper’s vehicle but were caught at the scene, according to Georgia State Patrol.
UPDATE: Georgia State Patrol says the chase started just after 9:30 a.m. Thursday when Dooly County deputies tried to stop a Chevrolet Blazer for speeding on I-75, but the driver refused to stop.
According to GSP, the chase continued north through Houston, Peach and into Bibb County with air support from GSP aviation.
GSP says the Blazer exited onto Sardis Church Road and tried to turn onto Houston County when it collided with a pursuing trooper’s vehicle, disabling both. GSP said two people inside the Blazer ran from the vehicle but were caught at the scene. According to troopers, narcotics and cash were found during a search of the Blazer and its occupants, who were turned over to Dooly County.
Their names have not been released, and charges are pending.
ORIGINAL STORY:
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Bibb County Sheriff’s Office patrol cruiser was hit from behind Thursday while deputies were helping with a vehicle chase that ended on Houston Road at Sardis Church Road.
According to a sheriff’s office Facebook post, a H.E.A.T. Unit deputy’s vehicle was parked with blue lights flashing at an accident scene when it was struck. Palmer was not inside the vehicle at the time.
Deputies say they were helping the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol at the scene where the chase ended The post added that “both suspects involved in the incident were arrested at the scene,” but it did not clarify whether that referred to the chase or the crash involving the patrol car. Deputies didn’t explicitly say if anyone faces charges for striking the patrol vehicle.
“Don’t forget to move over, slow down, or be prepared to stop if you see an emergency vehicle, tow truck, highway maintenance vehicle, or utility vehicle on the side of the roadway,” the post said.
Georgia’s Move Over Law (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-16) requires drivers to move over one lane or slow down to a safe speed if moving over isn’t possible when passing a stationary emergency vehicle, utility vehicle or roadside worker with flashing lights on a highway.
This latest crash follows a string of similar incidents across Middle Georgia. On August 14, a Monroe County fire engine was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer on I-75 near Johnstonville Road while responding to a tractor-trailer fire, injuring both drivers, who were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. That happened less than a week after a City of Forsyth Police cruiser was struck on I-75 and less than a month after a Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle was hit on I-16; in April, a Macon-Bibb County Fire Department truck was struck on I-75.
We’ve reached out to Georgia State Patrol for more info on the chase itself.
