Three teenagers remain in police custody following a heated police chase through Whitfield County, Georgia, that ended in a non-fatal crash. The incident took place on Tuesday, May 12, as stated in the accident reports.
The incident kicked off at about 1 p.m., on Interstate 75. In a press release, the Georgia State Patrol confirmed it involved three teenagers traveling above the speed limit in a 2017 Audi Q5, later determined stolen.
According to the GSP, the teenagers were moving through the southbound lanes on I-75, when they drove past a patrol officer on duty. The trooper’s speed radar clocked the Audi at 17 mph over the permissible limit on the interstate.
The trooper said he immediately turned on his emergency lights in a bid to flag down the speeding car. However, the motorist, Laderron Freeman, 18, accelerated the vehicle towards the 315 exit ramp. They got off on the exit and turned the car into the northbound I-75, maintaining the same speed.
GSP officials said the trooper notified them of the ongoing pursuit, and they immediately dispatched more troopers to join the chase. The motorist continued north on the interstate, towards exit 328, before joining Ga. 52, with a trail of patrol cars in pursuit.
Upon approaching Ga. 3 crossing, the operator of the Audi tried to negotiate a turn to join the state route, but his car broadsided multiple vehicles in the process. The fleeing vehicle then spiraled out of control and crashed, the accident reports affirmed.
The three occupants abandoned the disabled car and tried to flee on foot. Officers apprehended two of them; Freeman and Martinez Billups, 17, both of Chattanooga. The third suspect fled successfully, but deputies detained the 16-year-old barely 24 hours later following a manhunt assisted by SWAT and aviation teams.
Investigations revealed the Audi they were traveling in was stolen earlier in the week. Officers also found stolen handguns in their possession. Freeman and Billups are in custody at the county jail on charges of firearms possession and vehicular theft. In addition, the motorist also faces charges of fleeing police, obstruction and several driving citations.
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