A man who was driving erratically on I-75 South on Wednesday night is in police custody after speeding away from an attempted traffic stop, hitting a patrol car and shutting down interstate travel in Cobb County, authorities said.
Stanley Richard Whary, 36, faces several state charges, including driving while under the influence of alcohol, in connection with the incident.
Police received several 911 calls about an erratic driver, Marietta police spokesman Chuck McPhilamy told AJC.com. One caller said the driver had nearly crashed into several vehicles and was haphazardly changing lanes, according to an incident report.
An officer caught up to the vehicle and noticed the driver was straddling two lanes, the incident report said.
“I determined that this vehicle was in fact a danger to the vehicles around it,” the report said. “I initiated my blue lights in order to stop the vehicle.”
However, the vehicle’s driver, later identified as Whary, sped away.
Police then began chasing Whary, who they say was traveling at a speed of nearly 90 mph, according to the report. Whary smashed directly into the back of a patrol car “at a high rate of speed” and finally came to a stop on the left shoulder.
The wreck, which took place just before 11 p.m., disabled both vehicles, forcing southbound travel on I-75 to be shut down for more than 30 minutes.
No one was injured in the wreck.
An officer approached Whary’s vehicle with his gun drawn, the report said. The car was so badly damaged that officers had to get him out of it through the sunroof.
Police said when Whary got out of the car, he smelled of alcohol.
“His eyes were glassy and bloodshot. His speech was slow and slurred. He was unsteady on his feet,” the incident report said. “He asked one of the officers what state he was in, whether it was Georgia or Tennessee.”
Whary refused a breathalyzer, the report said. After the crash, he was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where a sample was taken for blood alcohol testing.
From the hospital, Whary was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and released Thursday on a $11,220 bond, jail records show. In addition to DUI, he is charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, super speeding, driving within a gore or median, following too closely, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, interference with government property, no proof of insurance, failing to use a turn signal and failing to move over for an emergency vehicle.
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