Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Chase started when suspect made convenience store stop for smokes By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com If Beau Christian Reed planned to flee the area to avoid being arrested for last week’s savage attack on a hotel clerk in Peachtree City, he made one big slip-up. After he was phoned by a detective and he agreed to come to the police department for an interview Friday, Reed instead loaded his roommate’s car with his belongings and stole it from their Sharpsburg residence, said Police Chief James Murray. Reed told his roommate he was heading to work at the Applebee’s restaurant in Fayetteville, Murray said. After leaving his residence, Reed stopped at the Hall’s Grocery convenience store on Fisher Road for a pack of cigarettes, according to a store employee. Reed left empty-handed since the store couldn’t take his charge card, but he got more than he bargained for as he headed back to the car. A Coweta sheriff’s deputy asked to speak to him, having noticed the car matched a lookout for the roommate’s stolen vehicle. Reed fibbed to a lawman for a second time by indicating he would cooperate, then he hopped in the car and drove away, said Coweta Sheriff Mike Yeager. Not more than a mile down the road, Reed lost control of the car at estimated speeds of over 100 mph and he ran off the road in a violent crash that ejected him from the vehicle, Yeager said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash was captured on the deputy’s in-car video camera, Yeager added. Officers found a green sweater and green shorts in the car, the clothing the victim said the suspect wore during the attack, police said. — Citizen staffer Beth Snipes contributed to this article. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page