After stealing a truck in Peachtree

City, a brazen thief led police on a chase from Tyrone all the way to

the Sylvan Road exit on I-85 in Hapeville Wednesday morning.

The driver, Charles Hamilton

Heard, 41, of Atlanta, ditched the vehicle after wrecking it and fleeing

into a wooded area, police said. A host of law enforcement officers swarmed

the scene and established a perimeter around the wooded area to him Heard

in.

In the end, a K-9 tracking

dog from the Fayette County Sheriff's Department located Heard, who

gave up when the dog found him, said Tyrone Police Chief Johnny Hay. A

Georgia State Patrol helicopter equipped with an infrared camera was also

used in the search, Hay said.

Heard was charged with fleeing

and attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and theft of

a motor vehicle.

The chase began after a description

of the stolen vehicle was broadcast to area agencies. Two Tyrone officers

spotted the vehicle on Ga. Highway 74 and attempted to stop it at Jenkins

Road, but the vehicle sped away, Hay said.

Fayette County deputies joined

the pursuit and other south Fulton agencies helped with the search, including

the College Park, Hapeville and Fairburn police departments, the Fulton

County sheriff's department and the GSP.

The pursuit reached 120 miles

per hour at times, police reported.

The vehicle, a blue 1993 GMC

Jimmy truck, had a broken window but it was unclear if this is how the

vehicle was entered before it was stolen.

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