Friday, April 6, 2001
Friday, April 6, 2001 |
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High-speed chase through PTC ends with crash
By JOHN
MUNFORD A high-speed pursuit through west Peachtree City last week ended with a crash that may have left a Fayetteville teen permanently paralyzed. Victor Harris, 19, of Fayetteville was being pursued by Coweta County sheriff's deputies for a speeding violation, said Capt. Mike Kinsey of the Coweta County Sheriff's Department. The chase reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour and at one point Harris rammed a deputy's car head-on to elude capture, Kinsey added. The incident ended when Harris's vehicle ran into a ditch on Ga. Highway 74 South past TDK Boulevard and struck a power pole, according to a police report. Harris was listed in critical condition Thursday morning at Southern Regional Medical Center. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that Harris is currently paralyzed, a condition that may subside or become permanent. The chase entered Peachtree City on Ga. Highway 54 West when two Peachtree City police officers heard sirens while parked at the Eckerd store at City Circle, according to a police report. Harris led the chase into the parking lot of the adjacent shopping center, and the Peachtree City officers helped the deputies try to pin Harris in by blocking the exits, Kinsey said. That's when Harris rammed the deputy's car head-on to escape, Kinsey said. "The only thing he could have done was run into our car, and that's exactly what he did," Kinsey said. During the pursuit, Peachtree City police blocked off intersections to keep Harris from entering residential neighborhoods and possibly endangering motorists, Kinsey said. Kinsey said the video of the incident showed Harris attempt to swerve left possibly to block a deputy trying to pass him when he lost control of the vehicle at the end of the pursuit on Hwy. 74 South past TDK Boulevard. "He was in excess of 90 mph at that time," Kinsey said. A report on the incident filed by the Peachtree City Police Department indicated that Coweta County units struck Harris's car, forcing it to leave the road and strike the power pole. The report also indicated that Coweta County did not notify Peachtree City of the oncoming chase. Kinsey explained that the incident happened very quickly, although the Fayette County Sheriff's Department was notified and responded to assist. Harris was entrapped in the vehicle after the wreck, said Peachtree City Fire Chief Stony Lohr. Bad weather cancelled plans to fly him to an Atlanta hospital due to his severe injuries, Lohr added. A Coweta court official confirmed Harris has been arrested there in the recent past for various drug charges, including a cocaine possession charge that was filed December of last year. The pursuit began in the Thomas Crossroads area of Coweta County, Kinsey said. Kinsey praised the professionalism of the Peachtree City Police Department and Fayette County Sheriff's Department in responding to assist in the pursuit. "We felt Peachtree City did an excellent job of blocking off the intersections and keeping him from entering a residential neighborhood," Kinsey said. Kinsey added that he felt Coweta deputies acted properly during the pursuit. "Our guys did it by the book," he said.
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