Four people were hospitalized after a DUI suspect fleeing DeKalb County police crashed into a car carrying four passengers at Clairmont Road and Scott Boulevard on Saturday, Aug. 15, according to 11Alive, citing the DeKalb County Police Department.
The crash marks the latest bystander-injury incident tied to DeKalb's expanded pursuit policy, which drove a nearly 500% increase in police chases in 2025.
A patrol officer spotted a car driving erratically near N. Decatur Road and Scott Boulevard around 9:50 p.m. Saturday and attempted a traffic stop, the department said. The driving pattern suggested the driver was impaired or experiencing a medical emergency. The driver refused to stop and fled.
The chase ended when the suspect's vehicle ran a red light and struck another car at Clairmont Road and Scott Boulevard, a corridor that runs through the Brookhaven area. Police said officers did not use a PIT maneuver or any other intervention to stop the vehicle before the collision.
One of the four passengers in the struck vehicle sustained moderate, non-life-threatening injuries. The other three had minor injuries. All four were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
After the crash, the suspect exited his vehicle and was "acting uncontrollably," police said. Officers arrested him and transported him to a hospital for evaluation.
His identity has not been released.
Pending charges include DUI, reckless driving, felony fleeing and attempting to elude, and a red-light violation.
Chase policy context
The incident adds another data point to a pattern we reported Aug. 6: DeKalb County police pursuits jumped from 17 in 2024 to 99 in 2025, a 482% increase, after CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson authorized a policy expanding chases to nonviolent property crimes. The county reported 28 pursuit-related injuries in 2025, and at least two pursuit-related deaths have occurred in 2026.
The most serious was the April 16 crash that killed Antoinette Catchings, 56, who was walking her grandson home from school near Miller Grove Middle School. The suspect in that case, Joseph Odeh, 18, was indicted July 9 on seven charges including felony murder.
DeKalb's pursuit policy explicitly prohibits chasing in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic and active school zones. A county spokesperson previously said all 99 pursuits in 2025 were found compliant through administrative review.
The department has not responded to prior media inquiries about the pursuit policy, according to Atlanta News First reporting from Aug. 6.
Residents who witnessed the crash or have information can contact DeKalb County Police at 770-724-7850.
