Man leads high-speed chase with toddler in the car, Gwinnett County police say
Police: Man led officers on chase; toddler in car
A driver lands in jail after police say he led officers on a high-speed chase with his two-year-old son in the car. It all began on I-85 near Steve Reynolds. Police say the driver hits speeds of up to 120 mph. Police released dramatic video of that chase.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A 21-year-old man was arrested after leading Gwinnett County police on a chase. The man allegedly tried to make a run for it with a toddler in his arms. Police released dramatic video of that chase on Monday.
The Gwinnett County Police Department was in the midst of a five-day detail targeting racing, reckless driving and DUI when Alessio Vaduva was reportedly seen speeding on Interstate 85 at around 1 a.m. on June 14.
"He observed the vehicle traveling well in excess of 100 miles an hour," said Cpl. Juan Madiedo of the Gwinnett County Police Department.
The officer who saw Vaduva's black BMW tried to pull him over, but sped off. The officer caught that moment on his dash camera.
The officer, with Gwinnett County’s DUI Taskforce, tried to get the driver to stop. "Got behind it, imitated his traffic lights to do a pull-over and the vehicle fled even faster," Madiedo said.
Though Vaduva allegedly cut his headlights off and attempted to evade the officer on the ground, the aviation unit was tracking him from the sky.
The car weaved in and out of traffic. Police say the whole time a two-year-old boy was in the car. "There are no words to describe how dangerous it is," Madiedo said.
Video showed Vaduva pulling into a residential neighborhood off Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth and exiting the car, appearing to carry something in his arms.
When the police caught up with him, they realized it was a two-year-old child. He ran towards the woods.
Investigators say the driver then ordered a rideshare. "He was trying to enter a Lyft or an Uber to evade the area," Madiedo said.
(Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department)
Vaduva was arrested and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. He has been charged with felony fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, speeding, unsafe lane change, driving without headlights, defective tires, operating unsafe vehicle, failure to obey traffic control device, child restraint violation, and duty upon striking fixture.
"He probably would’ve have gotten a hefty tickets for the speeding and for the child not being in the restraint. Other than that, he might have been on his way," Madiedo said.
Alessio Vaduva (Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department)
No one was hurt. A family member picked up the little boy.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story indicated the man was intoxicated. He was not.