Police pursuit ends on Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe
FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. (WDEF) – A police pursuit that began in Hamilton County ended Friday evening on Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe after deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop a fleeing vehicle.
News 12 was on the scene near Five Below and Kobe Hibachi, where officers had surrounded the vehicle following the pursuit.
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, deputies initially attempted a traffic stop, but the driver fled, leading officers on a pursuit into Georgia.
Authorities said the suspect continued along Battlefield Parkway before a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy successfully performed a PIT maneuver, bringing the chase to an end.
Several bystanders witnessed the pursuit unfold.
Jonathan Avalos said he saw the suspect driving erratically before deputies stopped the vehicle.
“He was driving a white truck down the highway, and he was swerving around us. Then the cops came, and they pit maneuvered him. Then he switched lanes and went back and forth. I stopped right there, and then I heard shots being fired.”
Laura Wills described seeing the suspect drive into oncoming traffic.
“The police were chasing him and rammed him in the back end. He ended up going the wrong way against traffic, crossed back over, kept going the wrong way into traffic, and then crossed the median.”
Elaynah Langston said she was walking toward Kobe Hibachi when she noticed numerous law enforcement officers surrounding the truck.
“I was over here, and I was walking this way toward Kobe, and there were a bunch of cops. Then I saw a truck in the middle, and I think they wrecked into him.”
When News 12 first arrived, officers were taking cover behind their patrol vehicles.
Later, an individual was seen receiving medical attention at the scene.
Candice Jackson said she heard the impact as deputies stopped the vehicle.
“We were over by Five Below, and we saw him jump the curb. Then they pit maneuvered him right out here, and he went toward Zaxby’s. We were in the car, and all I heard was crunching. My husband took off because he didn’t want the truck to hit us,”
The Chattanooga Police Department later determined the vehicle involved had been reported stolen from Wilcox Boulevard.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active, and charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.
As of now, authorities have not released any additional information.
