A Georgia State Patrol pursuit ended in a crash near downtown Atlanta with a suspect on the run early Thursday morning.
Three passengers were injured in the collision on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive near Verbena Street, according to authorities. Two of them are in critical condition.
Troopers were trying to stop a reportedly stolen Hyundai Sonata on I-20 West near the Downtown Connector around 3 a.m. when the vehicle exited onto Windsor Street before re-entering the interstate and speeding away, GSP said. Troopers were set up to perform a PIT maneuver, but they backed off due to traffic and a curve in the road.
The vehicle then exited onto MLK Jr. Drive and sped away toward Verbena Street, where it crashed, officials said.
Troopers ordered the driver to get out, but he then ran into the woodline, GSP said. They pursued him and twice tried to deploy a Taser, but both times were ineffective.
“The fleeing suspect engaged in a short scuffle with a trooper and then hopped a fence, escaping on foot,” a GSP spokesperson said.
A stolen firearm was found in the driver’s side of the vehicle, authorities said. No other details have been released.
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