Two Tennessee men were killed Friday morning when a driver fleeing a state trooper lost control in Buckhead, slamming into a concrete wall before the car overturned and caught fire, authorities said.
The high-speed chase began about 3 a.m. when a trooper tried to stop an Infiniti Q50 for speeding on I-85 North, Georgia State Patrol spokesman Lt. Mark Riley said.
The Infiniti drove off and exited onto Ga. 400 before its driver turned off the headlights in an attempt to elude police, authorities said. The deadly crash occurred in Buckhead after the driver turned onto Lenox Road.
WATCH: BREAKING - Fatality crash on Lenox Road in #Buckhead over GA 400 - https://t.co/RrMRstpHBu #Atlanta pic.twitter.com/dVLiI0QDio
— John Spink (@johnjspink) April 9, 2021
“The Infiniti traveled across the intersection and struck a concrete wall and overturned, catching on fire,” Riley said in an emailed statement, adding the trooper was able to snuff out the flames.
There were three men inside the wrecked sedan, and two passengers were killed in the crash, investigators said. The driver of the car was seriously injured.
The passengers killed were identified as 23-year-old Deterrius Minor and 22-year-old Devin Jones. The driver, 22-year-old Kenneth Poole, was rushed to the hospital after the fiery wreck. All three men were from Memphis, Tennessee, and the car was registered to Poole, according to police.
It was at least the second time in a week that a metro Atlanta police chase resulted in death. On April 2, a man and woman died in south Fulton County after leading Coweta County deputies on a high-speed chase across the county line and slamming into a tree, authorities said.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
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