Trooper crashes patrol car into wrong-way vehicle, suspected DUI driver

A trooper drove his patrol car into the passenger side of a car traveling the wrong way on the Downtown Connector early Friday, stopping the alleged DUI driver, the Georgia State Patrol said.

Around 2:45 a.m., Atlanta police requested help from the State Patrol with stopping a wrong-way driver who was traveling north in the southbound lanes, the GSP said. A trooper spotted the vehicle, a Hyundai Sonata, just north of Courtland Street.

“Immediately upon meeting the vehicle, the trooper steered his patrol car into the Hyundai, striking the Hyundai on the passenger’s side with the right front of his patrol car,” the State Patrol said in an emailed statement.

The crash disabled both vehicles, according to investigators. The Hyundai driver was believed to be under the influence of drugs and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, the GSP said. The trooper sustained a minor injury.

The Hyundai driver, Miroslov Klimkiv, 53, of Inman, South Carolina, will be charged with DUI, driving the wrong way and reckless driving, the State Patrol said.

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