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Five killed in deadly Butts County crash
Police say a fleeing car crashed head-on into a truck carrying two couples on their way to dinner.
BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. - The driver behind the wheel of a car that crashed into a pickup truck, killing four people, while fleeing from law enforcement in Butts County Friday, has since died.
Georgia State Patrol officials say that car crossed over the center line.
Authorities identified two of the victims as 72-year-old Judy Martin and 76-year-old Sandra Bowden. Pastor Mike Wadley said the two women and their husbands, who were traveling in the pickup, attend his church in Covington, Shiloh United Methodist. He told FOX 5 the couples were on their way to dinner when the crash happened.
"As I think of Sandra or Judy, I don't think of seeing either one of them without a smile on their face," Wadley said.
The now widowers, Thomas Bowden, 79, and Ronald Martin, 76, are recovering from multiple fractures with surgeries ahead, according to Wadley. But the greatest pain stems from their hearts.
"Ronald, I was with him today, and he was much more concerned about missing his wife Judy than he was about his own [injuries]," Wadley added.
According to officials, the chase began when a deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office attempted to make a traffic stop on a Chevy Impala as it was driving northbound on Interstate 75 around 5 p.m. Friday.
While the driver originally pulled over, the Georgia State Patrol says the driver fled when the deputy exited the vehicle.
A deadly wreck in Butts County kills four people, the sheriff said.
“The suspect vehicle got off the 201 which is Highway 36, continued Northbound on Highway 36, and ran off in the shoulder of the road at a high rate of speed crossed over the center line and hit a truck head on,” said Georgia State Patrol Sgt. Browder.
According to Butts County Sheriff Gary Long, the driver of the suspected vehicle was going over 110 miles per hour during the chase.
"The Suspect Vehicle lost Law Enforcement and 6 miles later, was still running 100 plus miles per hour and nearly killed my deputy, as they were traveling in his lane of travel," Long said. "The vehicle was not being pursued by law enforcement at that time."
Medics rushed the driver of the Impala, identified as 23-year-old Shikym Jenkins of Garden City, Georgia, to Atlanta Medical Center where he died Saturday night.
Officials say Jenkins has outstanding warrants out of Chatham County. Two passengers in the Impala, 25-year-old Ebony Young and 26-year-old Sukquawn Hayes, were killed in the crash.
Long told FOX 5 that Hayes had a loaded pistol in his hand and that Young had previously been convicted for possession of methamphetamines. possession of marijuana, and fleeing law enforcement.