Shoplifting in Peachtree City Leads to Police Chase

Coweta County Courthouse

Peachtree City, Ga. - A police chase in Peachtree City resulted in three arrests. What prompted the police chase was a shoplifting incident at the Avenue Peachtree City.

Employees of a retail store called police Thursday afternoon. According to reports, three individuals came into the store, stole merchandise, and when confronted by employees - used pepper-spray on them.

“While speaking with witnesses on scene, it was determined that the individuals had stolen a large quantity of merchandise from the establishment and assaulted the employee as they were attempting to leave,” police stated.

The individuals got into a vehicle and left the scene. Witnesses to the event were able to take down the tag number of the license plate and get a description of the individuals as well as the vehicle. This led to a police chase through Coweta County and resulted in the arrest of the suspects.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will focus on the serious traffic violation in the story above as it is commonly seen alongside DUI in Georgia. Read below.

Fleeing or Attempting to Elude in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines Fleeing or Attempting to Elude 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.

A first time offense of fleeing or attempting to elude is classified as a high and aggravated misdemeanor in the state of Georgia. This means that if a person is convicted of fleeing or attempting to elude, he or she is facing up to 12 months of jail time as well as fines up to $5,000.

Practice Note

There are also certain situations that can escalate the act of fleeing or attempting to elude police to a felony offense. If you or a loved one has been arrested for a DUI related offense, call our offices today.