Two people were ejected and killed early Friday morning after a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempted to stop their fleeing vehicle with a tactical driving maneuver.
The trooper performed the technique, commonly known as a PIT maneuver, at the end of a high-speed chase that traversed three downtown Atlanta interstates before culminating in a crash on I-20 East, according to the state patrol. The two occupants of the fleeing vehicle, 22-year-old Broderick Dunn and 18-year-old Amarion Clotter, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The chase began before dawn when a trooper with the crime suppression unit attempted to stop a white Jeep Grand Cherokee for speeding on I-85 North at Cleveland Avenue, a GSP spokesperson said in a statement. The Jeep fled and continued north onto the Downtown Connector before exiting at Edgewood Avenue, the spokesperson said, and one passenger jumped out.
The driver then reentered the Downtown Connector headed south and finally exited onto I-20 East, where the trooper performed the PIT maneuver, according to the GSP.
First responders attempted to perform first aid on the two crash victims, the spokesperson said. An automatic weapon was recovered from the scene.
The deadly incident remains under investigation by GSP crash reconstruction specialists and the Georgia Office of Professional Standards. Troopers have identified the third occupant of the Jeep as a 20-year-old man, but it was not clear if he would face charges.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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