Crime & Safety

Stone Mountain Teen Dies in I-75 Police Chase

Cobb police say another teen killed and a third passenger is in stable condition.after car crashed early Saturday near Cumberland Boulevard.

Updated 2:45 p.m. Monday

Cobb police have identified the driver of the Cadillac: Derrick Pritchett, 17, of Stone Mountain.

Pritchett was pronounced dead Saturday at WellStar Kennestone Hospital after crashing the car while trying to elude police.

The passenger who died at the scene of the wreck is not being identified because he was only 16 years old.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Original Report

A speeding Cadillac that eluded Cobb police early Saturday morning crashed, overturned and caught fire on an Interstate 75 entrance ramp, leaving two people dead and another passenger hospitalized. 

Cobb police spokesman Officer Michael Bowman said the male victims, an adult driver and a passenger who may have been a juvenile, were in a blue 1996 Cadillac that smashed into two concrete curbs and a retaining wall along a southbound Cumberland Boulevard ramp to Interstate 75.

Find out what's happening in Stone Mountain-Lithoniawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In a release issued Saturday afternoon, Bowman said police put out the fire after discovering the vehicle, which had come to a stop on its roof.

The driver was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital but was later pronounced dead. The second victim was pronounced dead at the accident scene, Bowman said. 

Neither has been identified pending identification by the Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office and, in the case of the second victim, notification of next of kin, Bowman said.  

The unidentified third passenger, who Bowman said also may be a juvenile, is in stable condition after surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital for what were described as serious injuries.

Bowman said the chase began around 2:30 a.m. on Windy Hill Road near Leland Drive after police saw the Cadillac "commit several traffic violations." He said police tried stopping the vehicle before it approached the I-75 ramp, but it got away. 

Bowman said the pursuit and the crash are under investigation. Anyone with information should call Cobb Police at 770-499-3987.

WSB-TV, which first reported the incident, said authorities may be looking into whether alcohol was involved. 

This article originally appeared on East Cobb Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.