A high-speed

pursuit through west Peachtree City last week ended with a crash that

may have left a Fayetteville teen permanently paralyzed.

Victor Harris,

19, of Fayetteville was being pursued by Coweta County sheriff's deputies

for a speeding violation, said Capt. Mike Kinsey of the Coweta County

Sheriff's Department. The chase reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour

and at one point Harris rammed a deputy's car head-on to elude capture,

Kinsey added.

The incident

ended when Harris's vehicle ran into a ditch on Ga. Highway 74 South past

TDK Boulevard and struck a power pole, according to a police report.

Harris was

listed in critical condition Thursday morning at Southern Regional Medical

Center. A hospital spokesperson confirmed that Harris is currently paralyzed,

a condition that may subside or become permanent.

The chase entered

Peachtree City on Ga. Highway 54 West when two Peachtree City police officers

heard sirens while parked at the Eckerd store at City Circle, according

to a police report. Harris led the chase into the parking lot of the adjacent

shopping center, and the Peachtree City officers helped the deputies try

to pin Harris in by blocking the exits, Kinsey said.

That's when

Harris rammed the deputy's car head-on to escape, Kinsey said.

"The only

thing he could have done was run into our car, and that's exactly what

he did," Kinsey said.

During the

pursuit, Peachtree City police blocked off intersections to keep Harris

from entering residential neighborhoods and possibly endangering motorists,

Kinsey said.

Kinsey said

the video of the incident showed Harris attempt to swerve left possibly

to block a deputy trying to pass him when he lost control of the vehicle

at the end of the pursuit on Hwy. 74 South past TDK Boulevard.

"He was

in excess of 90 mph at that time," Kinsey said.

A report on

the incident filed by the Peachtree City Police Department indicated that

Coweta County units struck Harris's car, forcing it to leave the road

and strike the power pole.

The report

also indicated that Coweta County did not notify Peachtree City of the

oncoming chase. Kinsey explained that the incident happened very quickly,

although the Fayette County Sheriff's Department was notified and responded

to assist.

Harris was

entrapped in the vehicle after the wreck, said Peachtree City Fire Chief

Stony Lohr. Bad weather cancelled plans to fly him to an Atlanta hospital

due to his severe injuries, Lohr added.

A Coweta court

official confirmed Harris has been arrested there in the recent past for

various drug charges, including a cocaine possession charge that was filed

December of last year.

The pursuit

began in the Thomas Crossroads area of Coweta County, Kinsey said.

Kinsey praised

the professionalism of the Peachtree City Police Department and Fayette

County Sheriff's Department in responding to assist in the pursuit.

"We felt

Peachtree City did an excellent job of blocking off the intersections

and keeping him from entering a residential neighborhood," Kinsey

said.

Kinsey added

that he felt Coweta deputies acted properly during the pursuit.

"Our guys

did it by the book," he said.