Violent and Tragic Traffic Stop in North Atlanta

Fulton County Justice Center Tower

Atlanta, Ga. - A tragic traffic stop resulted in a driver committing suicide just north of the City of Atlanta late Thursday night.

According to officers, police attempted to stop a vehicle for a minor traffic violation. This led to an officer being dragged by the vehicle. The driver then sped away and shot himself in the head.

As an Atlanta DUI Lawyer, I will focus on the law behind one of the offenses that is described in this tragic incident. - fleeing or attempting to elude.

Fleeing or Attempting to Elude

O.C.G.A. § 40-6-395 of the Georgia Code defines the offense of fleeing or attempting to elude 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

The story outlined above is a tragic and abnormal case. However, it is quite common for cases involving attempts to flee police to end in serious injuries or fatalities.

If you or a loved one has been arrested or cited in connection with a serious traffic violation such as DUI in Atlanta, contact our offices today.