ATLANTA — An Atlanta driver is behind bars after a simple traffic stop for speeding turned into a high-speed chase.
Police said they tried pulling over a black Mercedes going 97 mph in a 55 mph zone last week at I-285 southbound at the Buford Highway entrance ramp to I-85.
When officers tried pulling over the driver, who was later identified as Trayvis Thurman, he sped away at 130 miles per hour.
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Officers couldn’t maintain a visual of the Mercedes, so they requested Georgia State Patrol troopers and the Atlanta Police Air Unit.
In released video from the police helicopter, police said Thurman can be seen flying through the streets of Atlanta before ditching the car in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Pharr Road.
Thurman got out and ran from the car. The APD helicopter was able to continue following Thurman as he tried running from police and ultimately backed himself into an area with nowhere else to run.
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Police found two Glock firearms that Thurman threw on the ground as he ran from the car. Inside the Mercedes, officers found an open bottle of tequila.
APD officers arrested Thurman and charged him with speeding, reckless driving, fleeing/eluding police and obstruction. GSP also charged Thurman with DUI.
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He is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail and his car has been impounded.
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