Attempt to Elude Atlanta Police Results in Crash with MARTA Bus

According to reports in SW Atlanta this morning, three individuals who tried to run away from police officers in a Dodge SUV ended up crashing into a MARTA bus.

So far - police have not released any identities, but it has been released that the three individuals were suspects in a recent carjacking and that the car was in fact stolen.

As a Georgia DUI Attorney, I will outline the offense of fleeing the police in today's post.

Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer in Georgia

Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code in O.C.G.A. §40-6-395 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.

Any person violating this code section shall be guilty of a high and aggravated misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not less than $500.00 nor more than $5,000.00, which fine shall not be subject to suspension, stay, or probation and imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than 12 months. 

Practice Note

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, whenever I write about a case that involves fleeing the police I bring up the fact that the majority of the time it is tacked on to some other charges - such as DUI in Georgia. This is because people tend to attempt to get away from the cops when they are avoiding an investigation or think that they will be arrested.

However - just because someone runs or attempts to get away does not mean that they are guilty. There are plenty of reasons why someone doesn't want to deal with the police. If you or a loved one has been accused of violating a law or has been arrested, contact our offices today.