A man who was driving a city of College Park vehicle Sunday is in custody after authorities said he fled the scene of a fatal multivehicle crash in southwest Atlanta just hours before getting into another wreck while driving a second city vehicle in DeKalb County.
Atlanta police responded around 2:30 p.m. to the first crash along Lee Street at Sylvan Road in Oakland City. When officers arrived, they found a woman inside a Saturn Vue in critical condition, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. She was identified as 46-year-old Dalynn George by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“The City of College Park extends its profound sorrow and deepest condolences to the family of the person who lost their life in the tragic incident,” city officials said in a statement.
According to investigators, Donald Jackson, 45, was traveling the wrong way on Lee Street in a Ford F-250 that belonged to the city of College Park when he struck a Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Fiesta and the Saturn before coming to a stop. Jackson then fled the scene on foot, police said.
Officers later got word from DeKalb police that Jackson was involved in another wreck in a separate city vehicle on I-20. DeKalb police said they responded around 6 p.m. to the westbound lanes near Lithonia Industrial Boulevard for a crash involving two vehicles, one of which was a College Park government car. Police said Jackson tried to flee after that wreck but was apprehended.
According to an arrest warrant, Jackson was allegedly seen by witnesses throwing beer cans and a bottle of Hennessy out of the government car, identified as a 2008 Ford Super Duty. After crashing, Jackson is accused of trying to take a DeKalb fire truck and drive away in three other vehicles, the warrant states.
Jackson, identified as a College Park city employee by Channel 2 Action News, was arrested and booked into the DeKalb jail Sunday evening on charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving. Atlanta police said they also charged him with first-degree homicide by vehicle, felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor reckless driving.
“Investigators are continuing their investigation into this accident and are working closely with the College Park Police Department to determine how these vehicles became involved in these accidents,” Atlanta police said.
Jackson made his first court appearance Tuesday and was denied bond.
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