One person is dead and two others injured following a crash while fleeing police for a suspected shoplifting.
East Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan said his department received a call from Walmart about a possible shoplifting incident Sept. 23.
Suspects had left the scene by the time police arrived.
East Ellijay officers got behind the vehicle carrying the suspects on Hwy. 515 heading north. Officers activated blue lights and attempted to stop the vehicle, which fled north, Callahan said.
“Per our policy, the officer terminated pursuit,” he said. “Our policy doesn’t allow pursuit for misdemeanors, only felonies.”
The driver of the fleeing vehicle continued to speed up and at the off-ramp to Hwy. 52 East, crossed the median into oncoming traffic. They struck a southbound vehicle.
The three passengers in the fleeing vehicle had serious injuries, according to a statement from the Georgia State Patrol.
Callahan said one of the passengers died at the hospital.
Both occupants of the vehicle struck head-on by the fleeing car received minor injuries, according to the GSP.
Hwy. 515 was shut down between 1:47 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. while emergency vehicles worked the crash, according to the GSP.
Callahan said charges are pending for the accident and for the shoplifting. The Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is working the accident, he said.
The Georgia State Patrol crash report was not released by press time, and no names had been released at press time.