News

Kennesaw man arrested after North Georgia bank robbery, car chase

After crash, car was found filled with loose cash
The Kennesaw man's Nissan Sentra was found filled with cash after it was wrecked by a Gilmer County deputy following a high-speed chase and alleged bank robbery, authorities said.
The Kennesaw man's Nissan Sentra was found filled with cash after it was wrecked by a Gilmer County deputy following a high-speed chase and alleged bank robbery, authorities said.
April 29, 2021

A Kennesaw man was arrested and faces multiple charges related to an armed bank robbery and car chase that ended with a dramatic crash on North Georgia’s twisty mountain roads, officials said.

Brandon David Nunnelly was captured after a Gilmer County sheriff’s deputy pursuing his car on Old Highway 5 near Ellijay performed a pit maneuver, forcing him to crash, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

According to the initial investigation, the bank robbery was committed in Fannin County around 10 a.m. An alert went out to neighboring counties for law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for a black car with tinted windows.

A Gilmer County deputy performed a pit maneuver on a black Nissan Sentra in Fannin County.
A Gilmer County deputy performed a pit maneuver on a black Nissan Sentra in Fannin County.

Gilmer deputies spotted Nunnelly’s car, a black Nissan Sentra, headed southbound on Ga. 515 about 15 minutes after the alert. They attempted a traffic stop, but the Sentra fled, beginning a high-speed chase that crossed into Pickens County, according to the news release.

The Sentra turned off Ga. 515 and headed back north on Ellijay Road, where a Gilmer deputy performed a pit maneuver at “a location and speed to safely do so,” the sheriff’s office said.

The high-speed pursuit traveled through Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties in North Georgia.
The high-speed pursuit traveled through Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties in North Georgia.

After the crash, photos from the scene show the Sentra filled with loose cash. According to the sheriff’s office, Nunnelly will be charged with multiple traffic violations in Gilmer, while the Fannin sheriff’s office will lead the robbery investigation.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

About the Author

Henri Hollis is a restaurant critic and food reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he covers Atlanta’s restaurants, chefs and dining culture. As part of the AJC’s Food & Dining team, he reviews new restaurants, reports on industry trends and explores metro Atlanta’s culinary scene through the neighborhoods and people that shape it.

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