A wanted Cobb County man led authorities on a chaotic chase through Marietta and Atlanta on Thursday afternoon with a toddler in the backseat, police said.
It ended with the man in custody facing a barrage of new charges.
Police arrested Marquez Wright, 27, of Mableton, who now faces aggravated assault on an officer as well as several traffic-related charges tied to the incident. Prior to Thursday afternoon’s chase, Wright was wanted on an aggravated assault charge that stemmed from an unrelated case.
Officers on patrol in southwest Marietta got a hit from a license plate reader, which notified them the wanted man was near Delk Road and I-75. The officers located the suspect’s vehicle parked in front of a Motel 6 in the 2300 block of Delk Road, according to a news release. That’s where they found Wright sitting in the front passenger seat around 1:15 p.m., a police spokesman said.
When the officers approached the vehicle, Wright slid into the driver’s seat and bolted from the scene, striking one of the officers with the vehicle as he sped away, police said.
That set off a pursuit southbound on I-75. During the chase, a woman called 911 dispatchers and told them her 2-year-old was still inside the car when Wright left the Motel 6.
Police said Wright stopped moments later near Ridgewood Road in northwest Atlanta, jumped out of the car and started running. Construction workers in the area flagged officers down and pointed them in Wright’s direction. He was quickly taken into custody without incident, a police spokesman said.
The baby was not injured during the incident, according to officials. Marietta police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said civilians at the scene removed the baby from the vehicle while officers were apprehending Wright. The child was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital for observation.
The officer struck outside the Motel 6 suffered minor injuries, according to police.
One of the Marietta officers who participated in the chase struck a landscaper while trying to make a sharp turn a few blocks from where the pursuit ended, police said. A spokesman said the landscaper’s injuries were non-life-threatening and they were taken to Atlanta Medical Center. The officer was not identified.
Wright asked to be treated and was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, despite having no visible injuries, according to police. Once he’s medically cleared, he will be booked into the Cobb County jail.
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