Crime & Safety

Police Officer Killed in Lithonia Crash

The deceased officer had been on the force for less than a year.

DeKalb County Police Officer Ivorie Klusmann was killed early Saturday morning when his patrol car struck a tree.

The accident happened near the intersection of DeKalb Medical Parkway and Heritage Park Trail in Lithonia around 2:45 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police chief Cedric Alexander said Klusmann, 31, had been taking information from a motorist during a traffic stop when the driver sped off. Klusmann started a chase but then stopped, per department policy. However, another officer spotted the car so Klusmann resumed the chase, Alexander said. It's not clear if he was wearing a seat belt.  

Klusmann joined the police in October last year and graduated from the academy in April, then started patrolling alone in recent weeks. He leaves behind two young children.

The chief delivered the news to the officer's family Saturday morning and then held a news conference at police headquarters in Tucker. "That was very difficult for the family when they came to the door and they saw me there," Alexander told reporters. "We all had a very tough time with that."


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