A man who flipped his SUV several times before crashing into a Taco Bell told a Gwinnett County firefighter he was trying to kill himself, according to a police report released Friday.
Yared Woldemariam, of Lawrenceville, wasn’t seriously injured June 11 when he hit the restaurant, on Pleasant Hill Road near Satellite Boulevard, according to police. He was taken to Gwinnett Medical Center for treatment, and from there, he was booked into jail, police said.
On Friday, Woldemariam remained in the Gwinnett jail, charged with reckless conduct, reckless driving and failure to yield, booking records showed. He was being held on $11,496 bond.
There was no major damage to the Taco Bell when Woldemariam’s Toyota 4Runner came to a rest next to the front entrance, according to police and firefighters. Witnesses told investigators Woldemariam was driving erratically moments before the 9:30 a.m. crash, the police report states.
One witness said that Woldermariam had passed him on North Berkeley Lake Road at a high rate of speed and was traveling in the center turn lane, according to police. Another witness said Woldermariam was following him aggressively on Buford Highway. Woldermariam hit another vehicle when he allegedly ran a red light, according to police.
While he was being assessed by the first firefighter at the scene, Woldermariam said he was driving erratically because he wanted to commit suicide, the police report states.
No other injuries were reported.
Woldermariam's crash happened four days after another metro Atlanta driver attempted suicide by driving the wrong way on Ga. 400. Patty Ann Cressaty was critically injured when she drove her Porsche against traffic in the emergency lane and struck the concrete median, sending the Porsche spinning, witnesses told police. Her car struck a Toyota Camry and then a Nissan Sentra before it ignited, police said.
Cressaty told a doctor at Grady Medical Center she was trying to kill herself when she purposely drove the wrong way. She was cited for reckless driving and driving on the wrong side of the road, according to Atlanta police.
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