Georgia Police Chase Ends with Suspect’s Car Breaking Down

A police chase occurred on early Tuesday morning through both Henry County and Newton County. The suspected driver was taken into custody once his vehicle experienced mechanical issues and slowed to a stop. 

The chase then ended around 5:30 in the morning on I-75. 

In today's post, I will highlight the law behind fleeing police in Georgia. As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, this is an offense that I see quite often.

Fleeing or Attempting to Elude an Officer in Georgia

Georgia Law defines fleeing or attempting to elude in Georgia in the following statute:

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. O.C.G.A. §40-6-395(a).

Fleeing or attempting to elude is considered a misdemeanor most of the time. However, there are situations that turn the offense into a felony. The situations include:

• Fleeing in conditions that place the general public at risk of serious injury, 
• Colliding with another vehicle, 
• Or striking a pedestrian.

Practice Note

As a Georgia DUI Attorney, I handle cases that have several different serious traffic violations involved. In the case above, police were searching for a vehicle involved in a earlier hit and run in Georgia. When they ran his plates, they initiated the traffic stop. 

If you or a loved one is facing multiple charges such as failure to maintain lane and DUI in Georgia, contact our offices today.