A 23-year-old man remained incarcerated Friday following his recent arrest on charges that he dangerously and recklessly led a Georgia State Patrol trooper and Athens-Clarke police officer on a high-speed chase that began in downtown Athens and ended in Madison County.
The pursuit began shortly after 1 a.m. July 26 on West Broad Street near Pulaski Street, where the Ford F-150 turned onto Reese Street then accelerated to flee from the trooper, who had initiated a traffic stop, according to the GSP report released on Friday.
During the pursuit, the trooper reported that the motorist committed numerous traffic offenses. The trooper attempted PIT maneuvers twice on the pickup without success, and twice the truck hit the trooper’s patrol unit, the second time disabling it, according to the report.
After the trooper issued a lookout for the pickup, an Athens police officer responded to a street camera report that the pickup was on North Avenue, according to the police report.
Acting on information that the pickup “had a history” with a gas station on U.S. Highway 29 North, the officer drove to the location and spotted the pickup turning onto Virginia Lane in a residential neighborhood of Madison County.
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Another pursuit occurred when the officer reached 80 mph, but it was called off due to the officer being in a residential neighborhood, according to the report.
Police deployed stop sticks on Hull Road; however, when the pickup avoided the sticks, the officer renewed the pursuit.
As the pickup continued to flee, stop sticks were again deployed near Voyles Road, and the pickup’s right tire ran over the sticks and deflated, police said.
The pickup pulled into the Kroger shopping center parking lot, where it stopped, and the suspect fled on foot, but he was tackled by an officer who ran in pursuit, the report shows.
The 23-year-old suspect from Hull was charged with 18 counts of traffic violations, including three felonies. The GSP trooper also lodged nine charges, including aggravated assault on a police officer, that stemmed from the suspect ramming the patrol unit in a bid to escape.
As an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, an immigration document was also filed against the suspect, who remained on Friday in the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Man charged with leading state patrol, Athens police in reckless pursuit