A 51-year-old convicted felon may have been trying to elude police when he tried to run across I-285 and was struck and killed, Dunwoody police said Monday.
Darryl Spencer Ward, of Lawrenceville, was attempting to walk south across I-285 westbound near Ashford Dunwoody Road when he was hit by two vehicles Saturday shortly before 10 p.m., according to Officer Tim Fecht. Ward died at the scene.
Moments before Ward was struck, investigators were called to nearby Perimeter Mall regarding a theft, Fecht said.
“The suspect fled on foot from officers towards the Ravinia business complex, where officers lost visual of the suspect,” Fecht said in an emailed statement.
While officers were searching for the theft suspect, several callers reported a pedestrian had been struck on I-285, according to police. Investigators said Ward matched the theft suspect’s description.
The crash remains under investigation, but no charges are expected, Fecht said. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Officer Joseph Tomalka at 678-382-6900.
Ward was released from prison in September after serving three months following his conviction on theft charges in Gwinnett County, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Ward previously served 18 months in prison after a shoplifting conviction in DeKalb County, records show.
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