ATLANTA — With the help of Atlanta Police Department's Phoenix Air Unit, Georgia State Patrol and East Point Police were able to track down a driver after he drove off from a traffic stop and rammed into several patrol cars last Friday.
APD's Phoenix Air Unit captured a bird's eye view of the high-speed chase. The unit provided real-time directions and observations to officers and troopers on the ground.
The video shows the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee leaving the traffic stop after hitting the patrol cars, barely squeezing by, then turning onto the Camp Creek area. A short time later, the man was seen driving on the concrete median of the road before getting onto I-285. The driver then took an exit driving onto the grass and going in the opposite direction of the traffic at times, according to the video.
The driver then gets onto I-20 E swerving to avoid a PIT maneuver by authorities following closely behind. From there, the driver turned onto McDaniel Street and ended up at an apartment complex where he crashed into two parked cars. The driver and a passenger were seen in the footage jumping out of the car and running away.
Both were found and taken into custody after a short chase. The passenger was charged with obstruction and the driver will be charged by East Point Police, according to APD.
"We are proud of the work of our Air Unit; their skills in the air are unmatched. This unit is invaluable in crime fighting. The video footage speaks for itself," APD wrote. "We are glad our team was able to help our law enforcement partners catch these brazen and reckless individuals."