A 51-year-old convicted felon may have been trying to elude police when he was struck and killed trying to cross I-285 on foot, 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 shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, Officer Tim Fecht said. Ward died at the scene.
Moments before Ward was struck, investigators were called to nearby Perimeter Mall regarding a theft, Fecht said.
Officers were tracking a suspect on foot who was headed toward the Ravinia business complex when they lost sight of him, Fecht said in an email.
Several callers then reported a pedestrian had been struck on I-285. Investigators believe Ward was the suspect police were tracking.
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 for theft in Gwinnett County, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. He previously served 18 months in prison for shoplifting in DeKalb County, records show.
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