A car reported stolen out of Clayton County was driven into a pedestrian before crashing into an American Deli in northwest Atlanta on Wednesday.
Authorities have learned that vehicle belonged to a homicide victim in Jonesboro.
Jonathan Maurice Rice, 29, of Decatur, faces 13 charges in Fulton County after the crash at 1624 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, police said. Two passengers were also in the vehicle, but they were not charged after initially being taken into custody.
RELATED: 3 arrested after car flees traffic stop, hits pedestrian, slams into American Deli
On Sept. 4, a man shot and killed a homeowner before stealing his car, police told Channel 2 Action News. The victim’s name has not been released.
Police have not confirmed if the deadly shooting and Rice are connected, but an investigation is ongoing.
About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, officers spotted the stolen black sedan and tried to pull it over at Chappell Road and Hollowell Parkway. However, the car sped away.
About half a mile away, the car crossed the median into oncoming traffic, hitting a pickup truck before slamming into a van parked by the American Deli, police said. The wrecked vehicles ended up hitting a man who was standing by the restaurant, which was also damaged.
The 51-year-old pedestrian was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with severe injuries to his lower body. An update on his condition was not available Thursday.
Before the wreck, officers saw “how reckless this driver chose to be,” so the patrol car never engaged in a chase, police spokeswoman TaSheena Brown told AJC.com. Instead, officers planned to have an air unit track the vehicle.
“However, as that was beginning to occur, the driver of the armed and dangerous vehicle crashed,” she said.
The Georgia State Patrol was called in to investigate the wrecks since the crash was caused by a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop, Brown said.
Rice is a felon who has spent about five and a half years in prison since 2010, Georgia Department of Corrections records show. He was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault in Clayton County in 2008 and was found guilty of aggravated battery and false imprisonment in 2012 in the same county.
Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections
Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections
In connection with the crash, Rice’s charges include felony theft, serious injury by vehicle, hit-and-run, aggravated battery and several traffic citations, Fulton County jail records show. He remains in custody without bond.
About the Author
