A driver eluded capture Tuesday evening after an attempt to get away from an Atlanta police cruiser ended in a deadly wreck.
A passenger in the man’s silver Dodge Charger was critically injured when the vehicle ran a red light and crashed at the intersection of Hamilton E. Holmes and Martin Luther King Jr. drives, according to the Georgia State Patrol. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was dead on arrival.
He was identified Wednesday by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office as 20-year-old Tony Stewart. Police have not released the name of the driver.
Officers first spotted the Dodge about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and noticed its paper drive-out tag belonged to a different vehicle, Atlanta police told AJC.com. They turned around in preparation for a traffic stop, but the Dodge allegedly sped away before they could initiate the stop.
Shortly after, officers came upon the wreck, which also involved two other vehicles. The driver of the Dodge was gone, and one injured passenger was left behind.
Officers performed CPR on Stewart until he was taken to the hospital. His cause of death has not been determined, according to the medical examiner’s office.
No one else was seriously injured during the incident, according to authorities. The GSP, which is handling the crash investigation, confirmed using video footage police never engaged the suspect in a pursuit.
Investigators are still trying to identify and locate all the other occupants of the vehicle, police spokesman Officer Jarius Daugherty said on Wednesday.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact authorities. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by calling Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
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