Driver Arrested Last Month on Over Twenty Charges in Atlanta

Atlanta Police Car

Atlanta, Ga. - According to the Atlanta Police Department, a driver is facing over 20 different charges after being accused of leading a police chase through the downtown area.

The charges include hit and run as well as fleeing the police in Atlanta. These are the traffic violations that the driver is facing. However, there are a litany of other felonies and misdemeanors the man has been charged with as well.

It all started when APD officers ran the plates of a vehicle matching the descriptions of a stolen vehicle. Officers attempted to pull him over, however, the driver sped away, and as a result of Atlanta's no chase policy, he got away. Later on that same week, Georgia State Troopers spotted the vehicle again. This led to APD officers and Georgia State Patrol troopers working together in an attempt to slow the vehicle. APD used Stop Sticks (a commonly used tire-deflation device) so that troopers could bring the vehicle to a stop. Before the mechanisms were used, the driver hit another vehicle with the stolen car before continuing the chase.

As an Atlanta DUI Lawyer, there are many different offenses I could focus on in today's post. I will focus on the law behind the offense of hit and run as it one of the most common offenses in Georgia but the law can be relatively complicated. See below.

Hit and Run (Leaving the Scene of an Accident)

Hit and Run in Atlanta is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. §40-6-270 as:

(a) The driver of any vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or the death of any person or in damage to a vehicle which is driven or attended by any person shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of the accident or shall stop as close thereto as possible and forthwith return to the scene of the accident and shall:

(1) Give his or her name and address and the registration number of the vehicle he or she is driving;

(2) Upon request and if it is available, exhibit his or her operator's license to the person struck or the driver or occupant of or person attending any vehicle collided with;

(3) Render to any person injured in such accident reasonable assistance, including the transporting, or the making of arrangements for the transporting, of such person to a physician, surgeon, or hospital for medical or surgical treatment if it is apparent that such treatment is necessary or if such transporting is requested by the injured person; and

(4) Where a person injured in such accident is unconscious, appears deceased, or is otherwise unable to communicate, make every reasonable effort to ensure that emergency medical services and local law enforcement are contacted for the purpose of reporting the accident and making a request for assistance. The driver shall in every event remain at the scene of the accident until fulfilling the requirements of this subsection. Every such stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.

(b) If such accident is the proximate cause of death or a serious injury, any person knowingly failing to stop and comply with the requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years.

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been arrested or cited for a serious traffic violation such as DUI in Atlanta, contact our firm today. An Atlanta DUI Attorney can help you now.