A judge on Tuesday compared an Alabama man leading authorities on a chase in a stolen tractor-trailer to “a gun on a crowded highway.”
Douglas County Superior Court Judge Cynthia C. Adams sentenced Ryan Hileman to 30 years with 15 in prison for his actions in May 2016, Assistant District Attorney David Emadi said.
Hileman pleaded guilty to four counts of theft by taking, two counts of fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, and four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
On May 28, 2016, Hileman led officials from Alabama, where he stole a tractor-trailer at a gas station, to Georgia, Emadi said.
After crossing the state line, Hileman struck a patrol car pursuing him in Temple. He then struck more police cars in Carroll County and fled into Douglas County, where he struck a state trooper’s car near Highway 5.
That trooper was knocked unconscious and was found bleeding from the head, Emadi said. While the trooper survived, Emadi said he continues to suffer from back pain.
Spike strips blew out the tires and finally forced Hileman off the interstate, near the Fairburn Road exit, Emadi said.
That no one was killed, Emadi said, was fortunate.
“The reason we aggressively prosecute these cases and seek prison time for these dangerous high-speed chases is because they are nothing more than a quarter inch here, or a split second there, away from a catastrophic collision and possibly even death,” Emadi said.
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