ATLANTA — The Georgia State Patrol is investigating a crash that left two people dead.
GSP said on Friday around 12:57 a.m., troopers tried to stop a white Jeep for speeding on Interstate 85 north at Cleveland Avenue in Fulton County.
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The driver of the Jeep did not stop, which led troopers on a chase onto I-75/85.
When the driver got off at the Edgewood Avenue exit, a passenger in the Jeep got out while it was still moving. The driver continued driving onto I-75/85 south.
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When the driver got to I-20 east, troopers performed a PIT maneuver to stop the Jeep.
The two people in the white Jeep Grand Cherokee, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, were ejected. GSP said the trooper attempted CPR, but the two were pronounced dead on the scene.
Lieutenant Michael Burns with Georgia State Patrol says that PIT maneuvers have been around for decades and are typically safe, but the unexpected can happen.
“The point is to use a pursuit ending tactic to bring the pursuit to the safest end that we can possibly control,” Burns told Channel 2′s Tom Regan. “The driver was driving at a very high rate of speed driving erratically, [with a] complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of those on the roadway.”
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The passenger who jumped out of the car had been shot, but survived. There is no word on if he was arrested and charged.
Troopers said they also recovered an automatic weapon from the scene. The investigation is still on going.
The names of the two men killed in the crash have not been released.
GSP’s Office of Professional Standards and Collision Reconstruction are investigating the crash.
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