Three Chicago men suspected in a string of recent Forsyth County thefts were arrested Monday after leading deputies on a high-speed chase through a busy area.
Dash and body camera footage posted to the sheriff’s office Facebook page shows the men being arrested at gunpoint after attempting to elude deputies twice.
The pursuit began after authorities received a 911 call about a reckless driver throwing out a “suspicious bag” in a business parking lot, the sheriff’s office said Thursday. A lookout was issued for a black Dodge Charger, which deputies said was connected to several thefts in the area.
Dashboard footage appeared to show two deputies stop the driver in the parking lot of the Merchant’s Square shopping center in Cumming. After pulling into a parking spot, four men quickly got out of the vehicle.
A deputy is heard telling them to get back inside the car. When they got back in, however, the driver sped off through the parking lot with police in pursuit.
The chase came to an end along Buford Dam Road after deputies rammed the car repeatedly, causing it to spin out.
With his gun drawn, one deputy can be heard telling the men inside to roll down their windows and put their hands in the air. The driver appeared to keep his window up, prompting the deputy to pull out his police baton and begin beating the glass.
The driver tried to get away again, but the car was quickly rammed and all four occupants were ordered to the ground at gunpoint.
“We don’t play around up here when it comes to running,” a second deputy told them.
The suspects told police they were from Chicago and on vacation, but the driver reportedly gave them a fake ID. Inside the car, police found several ski masks, a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine and an unloaded Glock with a high-capacity drum magazine, authorities said. Deputies also reportedly found marijuana inside the car.
Authorities learned the driver and one passenger had a lengthy criminal record that included multiple felony convictions for violent crimes in Illinois, the sheriff’s office said.
The driver, Qushawn Hawkins, was charged with reckless driving, felony fleeing, forgery, marijuana possession and several traffic violations.
Javon Sherrod, a passenger in the car, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, failure to use a seatbelt and misdemeanor marijuana possession, authorities said. A second passenger, Kantrelle Hawkins, was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A third passenger was not charged and was released at the scene.
The three men who were arrested remained held at the Forsyth County Jail on Thursday afternoon.
