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Teenager Leads Police Chase Through Griffin

Posted by Richard Lawson | Jun 29, 2020 | 0 Comments

Spalding County Courthouse

Griffin, Ga. - A teenager reportedly led a police chase involving Spalding County deputies this past week. According to officers, authorities from Pike County contacted Spalding police after an armed robbery was reported involving a Spalding County resident.

Local police showed up to the teenager's home and identified the young suspect. He allegedly sped off in a vehicle on Old Atlanta Road. The chase continued until one of the deputies performed a PIT maneuver. This ended the pursuit and resulted in the suspect's arrest.

There are many different offense that the young man has been accused of committing, however, as a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will outline the law that encompasses police pursuits - fleeing or attempting to elude.

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.

However, there are circumstances that can exacerbate the penalties associated with a charge of fleeing or attempting to elude. These circumstances include when a driver flees and:

(i) Operates his or her vehicle in excess of 20 miles an hour above the posted speed limit;

(ii) Strikes or collides with another vehicle or a pedestrian;

(iii) Flees in traffic conditions which place the general public at risk of receiving serious injuries;

(iv) Commits a violation of paragraph (5) of subsection (a) of Code Section 40-6-391; or

(v) Leaves the state.
If a driver flees under any one of the above-mentioned circumstances, then a person is facing a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude.

Practice Note

Frequently, the crime of fleeing or attempting to elude is seen alongside with charges for DUI in Georgia. This is because people tend to react fearfully or desperately when they believe that there is a possibility of an arrest.

If you have been arrested, call our offices now. We can help you today.

About the Author

Richard Lawson

Managing Partner at Lawson & Berry:

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