Yet another Atlanta-area high-speed chase ended Tuesday afternoon with police making the troubling discovery that a baby was in the suspect’s alleged getaway vehicle.
This time, it was an Atlanta man with a 3-year-old in the vehicle with him on I-20 when authorities said he attempted to escape from a Carrollton police task force. The chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph and spilled into Douglas County, prompting deputies in the neighboring county to help catch the suspect, according to authorities.
It ended with Jerry Ewin Thornton, 34, being arrested. He was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, first-degree cruelty to children, fleeing or attempting to elude and reckless driving in connection with the incident.
The child was not injured, authorities said.
It was at least the second metro area high-speed chase this month in which the driver evading police was toting an infant. On Feb. 3, Marquez Wright led police on a chase that started in Marietta and crossed into north Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported previously. According to investigators, Wright reached speeds of more than 90 mph with a 2-month-old in the backseat.
Police arrested Wright and charged him with aggravated assault on an officer and several other offenses. That child also was not injured.
Tuesday’s chase began when a team of Carrollton investigators tried to stop Thornton in Villa Rica. Police said he refused and led detectives on the chase that trickled eastbound on I-20 into Douglas County.
When Carrollton officers lost sight of Thornton’s vehicle and ended the chase, Douglas County deputies were able to locate him. According to a sheriff’s office spokesperson, Thornton was weaving in and out of traffic and driving faster than 100 mph.
Deputies used a PIT maneuver to disable his vehicle near Lee Road. It wasn’t until officers approached the vehicle that they realized a 3-year-old was inside, deputies said.
Carrollton investigators said they seized about two ounces of meth before taking Thornton to the Douglas County jail.
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