4 dead after driver fleeing Georgia deputies hits pickup head-on

A fatal crash left four people dead in Butts County, authorities said.

The crash happened in the intersection of Ga. 36 and Nathan Thaxton Road about 5:30 p.m. Friday, Butts County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jeff Nix confirmed to AJC.com. He said authorities were pursuing a Chevrolet sedan that caused the crash.

Four people were killed in a head-on crash in Butts County.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

He referred all other questions about this incident to GSP, who is taking over this investigation.

The crash occurred on Ga. 36 when the sedan collided with a pickup tuck traveling westbound, GSP said.

Four people were in the pickup truck, and three were in the vehicle fleeing authorities. Two women in the rear passenger seat of the pickup truck and two people in the sedan were pronounced dead at the scene, GSP said.

The driver and the front-seat passenger in the pickup truck survived and flown to a hospital. The driver of the sedan was also taken to the hospital, and all three are in critical condition, GSP told Channel 2 Action News at the scene.

Authorities were still at the scene of the crash at 8 p.m. Friday.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

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Credit: Channel 2 Action News

No one involved has been identified.

“It’s sad,” GSP Sgt. Shaun Browder told Channel 2. “We’ve got two innocent people who died for something silly.”

All lanes were blocked in the area for about four hours, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

It all started when the sedan sped away from a traffic stop as a Monroe County deputy approached it on I-75, GSP said. It’s unclear what prompted the traffic stop.

The deputies later lost contact with the sedan, which exited I-75 at the Ga. 36 eastbound exit. A Butts County deputy was close to the suspects on Ga. 36 near High Falls Road, but before the deputy could catch the vehicle, the deadly crash occurred, GSP said.

The driver of the sedan had outstanding warrant and is from Chatham County, Butts County Sheriff Gary Long told the Jackson Progress-Argus. He did not know the charges contained in the warrants.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

In other news:

Channel 2's Audrey Washington learned that Officer Michael Smart was "relieved of duty" and is no longer employed with the department and three other officers are on administrative leave.