Teen arrested after trying to escape police in stolen car, APD says

ATLANTA - A teen suspected of stealing a car tried to make a daring escape from Atlanta police.

Officials with the Atlanta Police Department say officers were on patrol near Metropolitan Parkway on March 12 when they were notified that a black Dodge Charger had been stolen.

According to investigators, the owner had left it running, and the thief, identified as 17-year-old Jerious Simpson, drove off.

The Charger's owner was able to track it and provide its location to the APD's Air Unit and Auto Crimes Unit.

(Atlanta Police Department)

After an attempt to pull the Charger over failed, officers tracked the stolen car from the air and on the ground as the man raced through residential streets.

"We're going about 100-plus still east on Fair Drive," one of the officers is heard saying on the footage of the pursuit.

The teen eventually stopped the vehicle and fled on foot, jumping over a fence and running into an apartment building.

(Atlanta Police Department)

"I got a driver getting out," the Air Unit is heard telling other officers on the ground. "He’s going to have on a burgundy jumpsuit."

When Simpson thought the coast was clear, he got into the back seat of a white car. Officers stopped that car and took him into custody.

The teen is facing charges of fleeing and eluding officers and theft by receiving.

Car thefts around Atlanta

The latest crime data shows car thefts have gone up 2% in Atlanta compared to the same time in 2023. That's 750 cars.

The data showed 81 cars and counting had been stolen fromthe Atlanta Police Department's Airport Zone.

The majority of the incident reports come from the North and South Terminal decks. 

FOX 5 asked to talk with the Atlanta Police Department about what they're doing to get car thefts under control. They declined the interview.