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15-year-olds lead officer on high-speed chase
Peachtree City police say two 15-year-olds, who were armed and led officers on a high-speed chase, may now be facing charges as adults.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - Three 15-year-olds, two of which were armed, led Peachtree City police on a high-speed chase early Sunday morning.
It started around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when an officer spotted an SUV running a stop sign turning onto State Road 74, according to the Peachtree City Police Department.
Teens leads Peachtree City Police on high-speed chase
Peachtree City police say an SUV full of 15-year-olds blew through a stop sign along State Road 54 on Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
Dash cam video released by the police department shows an officer following the teens. The SUV pulled an illegal U-turn, and the officer had seen enough. Once the lights were turned on, the teens sped away fast. The video shows the SUV running the stop light as it turned back onto State Road 74.
They’re driving well over 100 mph, for what little traffic thankfully was on the road, there was absolutely no regard for that by the offender, passing at reckless speeds and just creating a just creating an absolutely dangerous environment for anybody that happened to be on the roads at that time," said Lt. Chris Hyatt.
Peachtree City police say an SUV full of 15-year-olds made an illegal U-Turn just moments before an officer attempted to pull the vehicle over on Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
The chase ended on State Road 54, when the driver lost control of the SUV and hit a crosswalk pole. The pursuing officer uses his patrol car to pin the driver’s door shut, so no one can escape.
Police say the driver crawled over into the front passenger's seat and ran away. So did the backseat passenger. The front seat passenger, they say, climbed behind the wheel and tried to drive off. Luckily for the officer in front of the SUV, the axel was broken.
Peachtree City police say an SUV full of 15-year-olds led an officer on a high-speed chase on the morning of Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
15-year-olds arrested after high-speed chase in Peachtree City
The names of the three teens have not been released.
One of the 15-year-olds was arrested at the scene of the crash.
A Peachtree City police officer pins the driver’s side door of an SUV full of 15-year-olds after a high-speed chase ends in a crash on the morning of Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
Another got away, but police say they have good leads as to his identification.
The third was five hours later in a Peachtree City neighborhood, where, at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, he was allegedly knocking on doors and asking for a ride to DeKalb County.
Peachtree City police one of the 15-year-olds involved in a high-speed chase was found knocking on doors asking for a ride to DeKalb County later in the morning of Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
At the age of 15, each of them already has a long, long criminal history.
"Search of the juvenile’s past revealed that they have an extensive violent criminal history. The same offenses for a decent amount of time. Again, all throughout the metro Atlanta area,"
The Fayette County prosecutor, Marie Broder, tells FOX 5 that with the teens’ extensive criminal records, her office is considering charging them as adults.
Stolen guns found in teens’ SUV, Peachtree City police say
Investigators say they found out much more about the three 15-year-olds in the SUV.
A .44 caliber revolver was one of two stolen guns police say they found in with three 15-year-olds inside after a police chase in Peachtree City on Jan. 28, 2024. (Peachtree City Police Department)
Two stolen handguns were found in the vehicle when officers searched it. One of those guns was a .44 caliber revolver.
In addition, police say several vehicles were broken into in the neighborhood near Peachtree Parkway and Walt Banks Road.
The investigation continues.