Less than two weeks after a police chase ended in a fatal crash, a Fulton County grand jury has indicted the suspected drunk driver.
Kahre Jamal Williams, 34, was indicted on 35 counts, including felony murder, first-degree vehicular homicide, hit-and-run, and serious injury by vehicle, the Fulton District Attorney’s Office said.
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Around 3:40 a.m. April 20, a Georgia State Patrol trooper saw Williams traveling the wrong way on Spring Street in downtown Atlanta in a black Dodge Charger. The trooper tried to stop Williams, who made a U-turn and sped away, running two red lights before getting on the Downtown Connector, according to investigators.
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office
“The Challenger continued south on Spring Street at a high rate of speed, exiting onto I-75/85 South,” the GSP said in an emailed statement.
The chase ended when Williams hit two vehicles. He then attempted to run from the crash scene, but was caught, according to police.
Several members of a Florida family were returning from a trip to Michigan when their SUV was allegedly struck by Williams. Juan “Tito” Gispert, 28, a married father of two, died in the crash. His mother, 51-year-old Maria Gispert, died days later.
Juan Gispert de Armas, 64, who lost his wife and son in the crash, was critically injured, after sustaining two broken knees and multiple broken bones in his face, the DA’s office said. Another son, 25-year-old Angel Gispert, suffered a broken right leg and scalp lacerations. A final passenger in the vehicle, 49-year-old Kimberly Bennett, suffered broken leg and multiple broken bones in her face.
The driver of the second vehicle, Lara Artis, 58, suffered a fractured left ankle and her passenger, 59-year-old Charles Sibley, sustained a ruptured Achilles and a broken tooth.
Other charges against Williams include fleeing and attempting to elude police, reckless driving, wrong-way driving and obstruction.
Williams waived his first appearance and is scheduled to be in court Monday. Fulton jail records show Williams has been arrested at least 13 times since 2003, mostly on drug possession and traffic-related charges. He has also served four times in state prison since 2004 for drug and firearm convictions in Clayton and Gwinnett counties.
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