A multi-vehicle crash Dec. 24 on Buford Highway that injured 12 people, with five hospitalized, is being blamed by Brookhaven Police on a man charged with driving under the influence and other offenses.
The Brookhaven Police Department says the afternoon incident began with a hit-and-run crash at the intersection of Buford Highway and North Druid Hills Road. The driver who fled the scene entered a nearby parking lot and hit several vehicles there, BPD says. The driver then headed north on Buford Highway, where a wheel fell off the vehicle. The vehicle went out of control and spun into oncoming traffic, causing a crash with five other vehicles.
Ottoniel Gomez-Moralez, 30, faces charges of DUI, hit-and-run and various traffic offenses, and was also wanted by another police agency on a charge of aggravated assault, according to BPD. Gomez-Moralez was transported to a hospital for evaluation prior to be taken to DeKalb County Jail, according to BPD spokesperson Lt. David Snively.