Police are searching for a driver they say led them on a chase down I-75 at speeds of at least 140 mph Thursday evening before getting out and running across the Downtown Connector.
The chase started in Cobb County just before 8 p.m. when a Georgia State Patrol trooper parked at an entrance ramp to I-75 noticed two vehicles that appeared to be racing down the interstate, police said.
The trooper caught up to one of the vehicles, a black Jeep Cherokee SRT, but the driver refused to stop, according to the GSP.
“The driver fled south on I-75 in a reckless manner,” police said, adding that the SUV reached speeds of least 140 mph with the trooper in pursuit. “The driver utilized all lanes, including the emergency lanes.”
The chase ended on the Downtown Connector when the Jeep was forced to slow down because of traffic and got rammed by the state trooper twice, police said.
The man then got out of the SUV near the North Avenue exit and ran across the southbound and northbound lanes of the Connector, police said.
The trooper pursued the driver a short distance, but then returned to the Jeep to arrest his passenger who remained inside the vehicle. He was charged with not wearing a seat belt and violating Georgia’s Controlled Substance Act after illegal prescription pills and a bag of marijuana were discovered, the GSP said.
The driver of the SUV is still on the run, but police said they were able to identify him as the owner of the Jeep and are seeking warrants for his arrest. A firearm reported stolen out of Clayton County was found under the driver’s seat as well as several cellphones and two fake driver’s licenses, police said.
No one was injured in the chase and authorities have not released the names of the men involved.
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