Police Chase Through Sandy Springs Ends with Flying Range Rover

Sandy Springs, Ga. - Two men were arrested late last week after allegedly driving a stolen Range Rover through Sandy Springs near the intersection of Dunwoody Place and Northridge Road.

Authorities attempted to pull the vehicle over after running the plates and realizing it had been reported stolen out of Douglas County. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop and initiated a police chase. Police attempted to box them in but the Range Rover was being handled too quickly which led to two separate collisions.

The chase came to an end in a shopping center parking lot. The driver navigated the Range Rover to the back of the parking lot, through a gate, and drove off of an 18 ft tall retaining wall. The vehicle landed 65 ft from the wall in the woods. The driver and the passenger were immediately taken into custody following the crash.

Both the passenger and the driver are facing some serious felony charges. But as a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will be focusing on the offense allegedly committed by the driver of the car - fleeing or attempting to elude police.

Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police in Georgia

Georgia Code defines Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police in Georgia 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.

Fleeing or attempting to elude is classified as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. The penalties if convicted can include up to $5000 in fines and between ten days and twelve months in jail.

There are also situations in which the offense of fleeing or attempting to elude is escalated to a felony offense. These situations include when a driver flees and:

• Operates his or her vehicle in excess of 20 miles an hour above the posted speed limit;
• Strikes or collides with another vehicle or a pedestrian;
• Flees in traffic conditions which place the general public at risk of receiving serious injuries;
• Commits a violation of paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-6-391; or
• Leaves the State.

If convicted of felony fleeing or attempting to elude, the penalty can include up to five years in prison.

Practice Note

A Georgia DUI Attorney can help you with your case. If you have been arrested for any serious traffic violation call our offices now.