A 37-year-old woman was killed Sunday morning when the driver of the car she was riding in fled from deputies and Georgia State troopers, ran a red light, and crashed into another car, according to police.
Around 11:25 a.m. Sunday, a trooper was assisting the Newton County Sheriff’s Office with a pursuit of a stolen Volkswagen Passat, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The driver, later identified as 30-year-old Ronreaco W. Bailey, was fleeing deputies on I-20 westbound near exit 88. Near mile marker 77, a trooper took over the pursuit, the State Patrol said.
Bailey then exited on Turner Hill Road, drove through a red traffic light, and got back onto I-20, the State Patrol said in an emailed statement to the AJC Sunday evening.
“While continuing to drive extremely recklessly and with disregard to the safety of others, the driver exited off I-20 West at exit 74 disregarding another red traffic signal at the intersection with Evans Mill Road,” the State Patrol said.
At the same time, a Ford Super Duty truck towing a Ford Explorer was traveling south on Lithonia Industrial Boulevard approaching the intersection with Old Hillandale Drive, investigators said. That’s when the front bumper of the Passat collided with the left, front side of the trailer towing the Explorer. According to the State Patrol, the collision caused the Passat to overturn.
The right rear passenger, whose name was not released late Sunday pending notifications of family members, died at the scene of the crash, GSP said.
Both Bailey and a front-seat passenger in the Passat, 31-year-old Jatina Banks, were seriously injured in the crash. The two were taken by ambulance to Grady Memorial Hospital, investigators said. The driver of the Ford truck sustained minor injuries but declined treatment.
The incident remains under investigation and charges are expected, the State Patrol said.
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