A Gwinnett County man accused of dragging a Lawrenceville police officer during a traffic stop is behind bars, authorities said.
James Grant Hoyle, 25, faces a host of charges after allegedly failing to stop at an intersection with a light out early Monday morning and then fleeing an officer who pulled him over — knocking him down and dragging him behind his car as he sped away.
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office
The incident occurred about 1:20 a.m. at the intersection of West Pike and Perry streets, Lawrenceville Detective Tim Schaefer said.
Because of a power outage, an officer was directing traffic in the intersection, authorities said, but Hoyle allegedly failed to treat it as a four-way stop.
After he was pulled over, Hoyle did not comply with the officer’s commands to put his Honda in park and shut off the engine, Schaefer said.
“After placing the car in park, he put it back in drive and fled from the scene, dragging the officer a short distance,” he said.
In body camera footage, the officer can be heard telling the man to turn his car off before he’s pulled to the ground. The officer suffered minor cuts and scrapes on his arms in the incident but is OK, authorities said.
Less than a day after police named Hoyle as a suspect and circulated his photo online, he turned himself in at the Gwinnett County jail, records show.
The 25-year-old is charged with reckless driving, driving with a suspended or revoked license, failure to obey a traffic control device, fleeing or attempting to elude police, obstruction of law enforcement officers by use of threats or violence, probation violation and failure to appear in court, records show.
He remains held at the Gwinnett County jail without bond.
In other news:
About the Author
