A man allegedly running from a speeding ticket lost control of his car and plowed into a parking lot, killing a woman standing beside a parked vehicle
ATLANTA — A high-speed pursuit on Interstate 20 in Fulton County ended in a deadly gas station crash Monday afternoon, leaving an innocent bystander dead and three others seriously injured.
Around 2:40 p.m., a Georgia state trooper attempted to pull over a Hyundai Elantra traveling west on I-20 after clocking it at 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. The driver, later identified as 26-year-old Fre’shun Tyai White of Marietta, initially slowed before suddenly accelerating and fleeing. White crossed all lanes of I-20 West, exited onto the Boulevard ramp, then abruptly merged back onto the highway, nearly causing a collision. The first trooper was unable to safely follow and was forced to exit at Boulevard.
A second trooper nearby spotted White merging recklessly back into traffic and moved to intercept. Before he could reach the vehicle, White exited at high speed onto the Hill Street ramp, lost control of the Elantra, crossed Hill Street, and crashed into a gas station parking lot, striking a parked car.
Chatanna Ohiyesha Patterson, 51, was standing beside that parked vehicle and died from her injuries. White, a passenger in his car, and the driver of the parked vehicle were all seriously hurt and taken to the hospital.
White has been charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree, serious injury by vehicle, and other related charges. The Georgia State Patrol issued a statement saying, “Tonight, a family is grieving the sudden loss of a loved one… this incident serves as a painful reminder of the dangers created when drivers make reckless decisions and flee from law enforcement.”
The current conditions of those injured in the crash remain unknown, and the investigation is ongoing.
