Man wanted on murder charge in Union City arrested on I-285 after chase
State troopers arrested a murder suspect Wednesday afternoon on I-285 following a pursuit.
About 12:30 p.m., a trooper tried to initiate a traffic stop on a Chevrolet Camaro in the South Fulton area, the Georgia State Patrol said. Calvin Woodard of Lithonia, who was wanted on a murder charge out of Union City, was driving the vehicle.
He and his cousin Xavier Woodard are both charged in the death of Byron Davis, who was among four people shot in Union City during a violent Friday afternoon in July, AJC.com previously reported. In addition to Davis, a second man was critically injured the July 10 shootings and survived. Union City police spokesman Officer Jerome Turner Jr. said the Woodards were involved in both incidents, while the other victims were injured in unrelated shootings.
Calvin Woodard is accused of fleeing from Wednesday’s attempted stop, which was along U.S. 29 near Bluffington Road. A chase ensued, traveling through South Fulton and into East Point, the GSP said.
At some point, he threw a handgun out of the window along with multiple bags of suspected narcotics, the GSP said. Those items were later recovered.
The pursuit continued onto I-285 North, and a trooper performed a PIT maneuver near Camp Creek Parkway to end the chase, the GSP said. Calvin Woodard was taken into custody without further incident. No one was injured.
The chase ended a little after 12:45 p.m. It shut down a right lane of the interstate, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center.
Troopers turned the suspect over to Union City police. The suspected narcotics were handed over to the GBI, while the firearm was given to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Calvin Woodard faces counts of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and discharging a firearm near a highway, police said. He was booked into the Fulton County Jail early Thursday, online records show. Xavier Woodard, 19, of College Park, faces the same charges and remains at large.
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About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
