Police chase car break-in thieves into Buckhead before suspects crash and run

ATLANTA — A police chase ended in a crash in Buckhead Friday night, brining business on one sidewalk to a stop.

“The car just come flying down the sidewalk,” Letwan Rockett said.

He was working at a restaurant nearby and customers were eating at tables outside.

“I could have gotten hurt. I was eating. God forbid if they had crashed anywhere closer and just kept going all the way into that business over there. It would have been over with,” Hendrick Davis said.

The crash happened at Lenox and Piedmont roads, but it started in neighboring Brookhaven.

Police there said they tried to pull a black BMW SUV over on Dresden Drive, but the driver didn’t stop until the wheels came off in Buckhead.

“Wow,” Rockett said.

The chase is connected to three different cities, according to police: Atlanta, Brookhaven and Chamblee.

Earlier in the day, officers said thieves were breaking into cars at Plaza Fiesta in Chamblee.

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Officers there alerted the Brookhaven Police Department to be on the lookout for a black BMW SUV.

Officers spotted the SUV on Dresden Drive and chased it into neighboring Buckhead.

“All of a sudden I heard a very loud crash behind me,” Davis said.

He and Rockett said they saw three people jump out of the wrecked-out BMW and run.

“I was in the store with customers, and I automatically was like, ‘OK, get down!’ Because we don’t know if they run towards the store, we don’t know stray bullets and stuff,” Rockett said.

News Chopper 2 captured the search overhead and Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco was on the ground asking questions.

Police said they caught one person and two more were on the loose.

We are waiting to find out the names of the person arrested and if the BMW was stolen.

“I’m just glad nobody was hurt,” Rockett said.