Police: Wreck Ejects Car Occupants During Chase

The occupants of a Dodge Durango pursued by police early Friday were ejected when the driver lost control of the vehicle, struck a tree and a telephone pole and overturned, DeKalb County police said.

The wreck happened on Redan Road between S. Hairston and Panola in unincorporated Stone Mountain.

There were reportedly seven occupants in the Durango and a gunshot victim from another car who were all transported to a local hospital for treatment, with injuries ranging from serious to critical, police said.

According to police, a DeKalb officer working a part-time job across from 3443 Covington Dr., The Shadow Room, heard gunshots that were believed to have come from a silver Dodge Durango that fled the parking lot of 3443 Covington Drive at a high rate of speed. 

The police officer radioed the incident and gave a lookout and the vehicle's direction of travel.

Responding officers saw the Durango in the Covington Highway and I-285 area. According to police, the officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused.

Officers then stopped a second vehicle, a Jaguar, which was also seen leaving the location. A male victim was in the Jaguar with "an apparently non-life-threatening gunshot wound," according to police. The shooter allegedly was one of the Durango occupants, police said.

Police chased the Durango to Redan Road where the wreck occured.

Police say it is unknown what sparked the incident.

Check back with Patch for updates.