Alleged Shoplifter Jumps Out of Moving Vehicle During Police Chase in Georgia

According to a Cobb County officer's dash cam video from last month, Carl Stroud has been identified as allegedly jumping out of his moving pick-up truck on South Cobb Drive. Stroud had been accused of stealing over $200 worth of beer, steaks, and hot dogs from a nearby grocery store. 

As a result of Stroud jumping out and abandoning his truck while it was still in drive, two accidents occurred causing some serious property damage. The truck continued into oncoming traffic for another quarter mile. Stroud was eventually detained and arrested by police in a nearby wooded area. And fortunately, the people involved in the wrecks caused by his truck were not seriously injured. 

Judge Gerald Moore of Cobb County stated in reference to the case: “I intend to hold your client without bond, making a finding that he poses a danger to the community.”

As of right now, Stroud faces a total of twelve different charges. This includes fleeing a police officer and hit-and-run in Georgia.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I am very familiar with the charges faced by Stroud. As I've stated many times in my posts, a vast majority of charges for DUI in Georgia begin with one or more traffic offenses.

Fleeing a Police Officer in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines the criminal offense of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer in Georgia in O.C.G.A. §40-6-395(a) as:

It shall be unlawful for any driver of a vehicle willfully to fail or refuse to bring his or her vehicle to a stop or otherwise to flee or attempt to elude a pursuing police vehicle or police officer when given a visual or an audible signal to bring the vehicle to a stop. The signal given by the police officer may be by hand, voice, emergency light, or siren. The officer giving such signal shall be in uniform prominently displaying his or her badge of office, and his or her vehicle shall be appropriately marked showing it to be an official police vehicle.

Practice Note

This is a very common offense as the majority of drivers do not want to submit to a possible investigation, citation, or arrest and will therefore attempt to get away from the officer making the approach. 

Fleeing an officer is usually considered a high and aggravated misdemeanor in Georgia. However, according to reports, Stroud is facing a felony charge of the offense. There are certain situations which elevate this offense to a felony classification. One of these such situations is fleeing in traffic conditions that place the general public at risk of receiving serious injuries. Another is striking or colliding with another vehicle or pedestrian. 

Unfortunately for Stroud, it sounds like he has met both of these conditions according to reports and is in need of representation that understands the law behind this offense and how to best defend it.

If you or a loved one is dealing with a DUI arrest in Georgia, contact a Georgia DUI Attorney today. We specialize in Georgia DUI Defense which includes all DUI related offenses.