Everyday citizens sometimes witness out-of-the-ordinary events, even in the middle of busy Friday afternoon traffic in southern Peachtree City.
What Sharla Smith Hardin and her daughter Jessica saw — and recorded — was the conclusion of a slow-motion police chase of a Coweta man that ended moments later with the man handcuffed on the pavement, his car disabled by a Coweta deputy, and traffic fouled for an hour in the aftermath.
Right, above, the driver on the ground and in handcuffs. Photo by Jessica Hardin.
Eyewitness Hardin described what she and her 9-year-old daughter saw Friday afternoon from their vehicle.
“My daughter and I were sitting at the corner of Crosstown and 74 making a right hand turn onto 74. A police car pulled into the middle of the intersection to stop traffic. We heard sirens. My daughter described them as ‘panoramic’ as in coming from all directions. So, I stayed where I was. We were in the turning lane.
“I saw a car rapidly approaching us from behind. Then, it sped around us, making a right hand turn in front of us. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but, I thought that it was very rude! Then several police cars followed behind the driver one after another. I told my daughter it looked like we were in the middle of an episode of “COPS!”
“After the cars made the right hand turn onto 74 North, additional police cars were heading south towards the vehicle.
“The police cars boxed in the car, and the driver made a left hand turn over the median and side-swiped a police SUV, ending up facing southbound on 74.
“My daughter, Jessica (9 years old), grabbed my iPhone and started taking pictures and video. … It was intense to watch it happen in person. But, in my opinion, the police did an outstanding job of carefully routing the driver into an area away from other vehicles. It was obviously a strategically executed procedure. And, to my knowledge, no other drivers were hurt.”
The man was being sought by the Coweta COunty Sheriff’s Department in connection with an altercation with the man’s son, said Peachtree City Police Lt. Mark Brown.
Brown said Coweta deputies located the man’s vehicle on Crosstown Drive. Before they could detain him, the man entered his vehicle and drove off. The vehicle drove on a circuitous route along Crosstown, Peachtree Parkway, Kelly Drive and Hwy. 74, Brown said.
At one point the driver entered Hwy. 74 while driving in the wrong direction. It was then that Coweta’s deputies disabled the vehicle and took the man into custody.
Traffic along the north and southbound lanes of Hwy. 74 were stopped during portions of the pursuit that some on Facebook described as a low-speed chase involving several police vehicles.
Brown said the roadway had reopened by 3 p.m. Dec. 13.
Below, the end result of the crash (my daughter, Jessica Hardin, took this photo) from our vantage point.
=================================
[ORIGINAL ONLINE STORY (12-13-13)] — There is little current information on a traffic incident that ended Friday afternoon in Peachtree City. What is known is that a man sought by the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office had his vehicle disabled by Coweta deputies on Ga. Highway 74 South after leading officers on a slow circuitous route through portions of the city’s south side.
Peachtree City Police Lt. Mark Brown said that, while not much information currently exists, what is known is that Coweta deputies Friday afternoon were attempting to locate a man who was believed to have been involved in an altercation with his son.
Brown said Coweta deputies located the man’s vehicle on Crosstown Drive. Before they could detain him, the man entered his vehicle and drove off. The vehicle drove on a circuitous route along Crosstown, Peachtree Parkway, Kelly Drive and Hwy. 74, Brown said.
At one point the driver entered Hwy. 74 while driving in the wrong direction. It was then that Coweta’s deputies disabled the vehicle and took the man into custody.
Traffic along the north and southbound lanes of Hwy. 74 were stopped during portions of the pursuit that some on Facebook described as a low-speed chase involving several police vehicles.
Brown shortly before 3 p.m. said the roadway had reopened.
