VIDEO: Man with 37 previous arrests leads Atlanta officers on chase with 3 children inside SUV

ATLANTA — A man with nearly 40 prior arrests is accused of leading officers on a chase in southeast Atlanta.

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On Dec. 20, around 12:15 p.m., officers were called to an address that appears to be an Exxon gas station on Jonesboro Road in southeast Atlanta.

When officers arrived, several witnesses reportedly told them a man, later identified as William Burris, who was in a gray Jeep Cherokee stopped in the road and fired several shots toward the building before driving away.

APD said several victims were in the area where shots were fired but no one was hurt. Officials said only property damage was reported.

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As officers and investigators were processing the crime scene, authorities said, Burris was seen driving back toward the location. Officers later caught up to Burris when they tried to conduct a traffic stop along Jonesboro Road.

Atlanta authorities said Burris did not stop after releasing a passenger from the Jeep.

Video shows the moment Burris led police on a high-speed chase which ended in the area of 2000 Lakewood Ave. The driver swerved in front of an officer and hit the front driver-side of the patrol vehicle, effectively performing a PIT maneuver on himself.

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As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed three young children in the Jeep along with Burris.

The children were taken to a safe place and treated for pain.

Burris is facing charges of fleeing and eluding driving while license suspended or revoked, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of cruelty to children, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, possession, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage to property and failure to report striking a fixed object.

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