Two New Yorkers are behind bars after allegedly fleeing a roadblock Wednesday afternoon and then leading deputies on a chase though Clayton County.
The sheriff’s office said deputies were conducting a “safety check” when the driver of a white Mercedes handed over a driver’s license that looked nothing like him.
The driver then sped away, nearly striking several deputies at the checkpoint, authorities said.
Police pursued the vehicle east on Garden Walk Boulevard, north on I-75 North and east on I-285, authorities said.
The chase ended near Jonesboro Road when the driver, identified as 27-year-old Sharif Robinson, lost control and hit another vehicle before the Mercedes was struck by a tractor-trailer, the sheriff’s office said.
Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation
Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation
RELATED: I-285 reopens in Clayton County after police chase; 2 suspects in custody
Robinson and his passenger, 26-year-old Antonie Redfern, got out of the vehicle and ran on foot. Police were able to chase down Redfern and arrest him, and Robinson was taken into custody after deputies spotted him lying in some nearby woods, police said.
Inside their vehicle, deputies located an assault-style rifle, a handgun reported stolen out of DeKalb County and suspected narcotics, authorities said. The sheriff’s office said Robinson and Redfern were wanted in several jurisdictions, and that Robinson also had a federal warrant out for his arrest.
Redfern is charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, theft by receiving stolen property, possessing a weapon during the commission of a crime, obstruction and possessing, manufacturing or distributing controlled substances, jail records show.
Robinson faces a total of 32 charges in connection with the incident, including four counts of aggravated assault, five counts of hit-and run and a host of traffic-related offenses. Both men remain held at the Clayton County jail without bond.
The chase and arrests ended up shutting down the eastbound lanes of I-285 for nearly an hour before the interstate reopened about 2:45 p.m.
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