A man took a Mustang from a south Georgia dealership showroom at gunpoint Monday afternoon then apparently fatally shot himself after the car ran out of gas in Folkston, according to a story in the Augusta Chronicle.
The Chronicle reported that Ryan Allen Blankenship, 21, of Blackshear, entered the showroom at Robbie Roberson Ford in Waycross about 4:40 p.m. Monday. Authorities said Blankenship had a semi-automatic pistol and ordered a salesman to open the showroom’s double doors. Blankenship then got in and drove the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 quickly through the doors.
Blankenship sped away, heading north on U.S. 1, which runs in front of the dealership. Roadblocks were set up to intercept the vehicle. Ten minutes later, however, a Georgia Forestry official reported the car had sped past him southbound on U.S. 1 south of Waycross at about 100 mph.
As the driver crossed a railroad overpass in Folkston, the car ran out of gas about 5:40 p.m., and the driver jumped out and ran. He fled across railroad tracks and jumped into a ditch. Officers heard a shot and made their way forward to find Blankenship dead, the newspaper reported. Blankenship, who had been in the Navy, was recognized as having been in the dealership a couple of weeks earlier.
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