Two people were killed Feb. 25 after they fled a Georgia State Patrol officer on patrol on Buford Highway in Brookhaven and struck another car head-on then drove south on I-85 north.
At about 10 p.m. on Feb. 25, a Georgia State Patrol officer attempted to pull over a 2002 Saturn SL on Buford Highway for speeding. The Saturn driver did not stop and the trooper initiated a chase.
“The troopers pursued the car north on Buford Highway, then south on Clairmont Road. The trooper attempted an unsuccessful PIT [precision immobilization technique] maneuver on the Saturn as it made a right onto Clairmont Road. The Saturn traveled south on Clairmont Road and took the on-ramp to I-85 South,” according to a GSP statement.
The PIT maneuver is when a patrol officer attempts to tap the back end of a fleeing vehicle and force it to stop.
“The pursuit ended with a successful PIT maneuver performed on the top of the ramp from I-85 southbound to Clairmont Road. This maneuver left the Saturn stopped partially in the first lane of I-85 South and partially on the ramp,” according to the GSP.
When the trooper exited his patrol car, the Saturn driver raised his hand for a moment but then fled the scene, driving the car north in the southbound lanes of I-85 from the Clairmont Road southbound on-ramp.
The trooper did not pursue the vehicle now traveling the wrong way on I-85 South but did pull onto I-85 North driving north to monitor the speeding Saturn.
“[The trooper] spotted what looked like a crash on I-85 South just before the off-ramp from I-85 South to Clairmont Road,” according to GSP.
“The trooper continued north, turned around, and located the crashed Saturn. The Saturn struck a black 2012 Infiniti G37 head-on. The driver of the Infiniti, Lisa Jackson, 52, of Alpharetta, was transported to Grady Hospital with minor injuries,” GSP reported.
A woman in the back seat of the Saturn was seriously injured and transported to Grady Hospital. The male driver and front seat passenger of the Saturn were killed.
Brookhaven Police did not assist in the chase, according to a spokesperson.