More than $20,000 of computers and related items were stolen in a brazen ram-and-grab burglary at the PeachMac store at The Avenue in Peachtree City around 2:30 Wednesday morning, police said.
An officer on patrol in the area initially gave chase to at least one of the two vehicles that was seen leaving the shopping center, but the pursuit was terminated because the suspect was driving recklessly at a high speed with “complete disregard for the safety of others,” police said.
The pursuit began in the area of Ga. Highway 54 and Stevens Entry, and that vehicle went north on Peachtree Parkway. The pursuing officer reached speeds of around 70 mph trying to catch up to the vehicle, but the chase was called off on north Peachtree Parkway, police said.
The second vehicle was spotted by a Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy, sparking a pursuit on Ga. Highway 54 back into Fayetteville, north on Ga. Highway 85 and ultimately back toward Interstate 85 in Union City where it ended with the suspects getting away, with speeds upwards of 100 mph on roads that were slick from the rain, said Maj. Bryan Woodie of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s deputy, who had heard the description of the vehicles, was entering Peachtree City on Ga. Highway 54 when the second suspect’s vehicle was spotted and that pursuit began, Woodie said.
The burglars gained entry to the store by ramming one of the vehicles through the front entrance, police said.
One of the vehicles was described as a white compact vehicle and the other a tan or silver mid-size vehicle, police said.
Police investigators are following up on several different leads tied to the case, officials said. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the city’s criminal investigations division at 770-631-2510 or the city’s crime and narcotics information hotline at 770-487-6010. Callers may remain anonymous.
