Driver Flees, Crashes After Traffic Stop
A suspect wanted on warrants led officers on a chase through Clarke and Madison counties before crashing a black SUV.
By Talia Bennett ·
A police shooting and high-speed chase concluded with a vehicle crash on Sunday morning in Clarke County, Georgia. The incident began when an Athens-Clarke County Police Department officer stopped a black SUV in the 100 block of Oakmont Court around 10:30 a.m.
The officer intended to arrest Derrell Dukes, 33, of Athens, who faced several outstanding warrants. A Winterville Police Department officer arrived seconds later to assist. Peyton Ragland, 28, of Summerville, stepped out of the rear seat immediately as officers instructed Dukes to exit the vehicle.
Dukes opened his door, closed it quickly, and accelerated away. A woman remained in the front passenger seat. An officer fired one shot at the moving SUV as it sped away, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The single bullet injured no one.
Dukes drove the SUV into Madison County before losing control. The vehicle crashed in the 3000 block of Spratlin Road near Hull. Paramedics transported Dukes and the female passenger to a nearby hospital. Both suffered minor injuries from the collision. Hospital staff treated them and released them.
Clarke County Jail deputies booked both Dukes and Ragland on their prior arrest warrants. State authorities confirmed these warrants were separate from the events of the Sunday pursuit. Investigators have not identified the agency that employed the officer who fired the weapon.
The identity of the woman who stayed inside the SUV during the chase has not been released. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading an independent probe into the shooting. This investigation is being conducted at the request of the Winterville Police Department.
GBI officials asked members of the public with relevant information to contact the Regional Investigative Office in Athens. The office can be reached at 706-542-7901.
