Attempted murder suspect arrested after chase
A Gordon County, Ga., deputy said he spotted a suspicious car Thursday night on Interstate 75. As it turned out, the teenage driver was wanted in Hamilton County on a charge of attempted murder.
In addition to that charge, the Hamilton County Sheriff ’s Office has three other open warrants for Marcus Dewitt Smith. The other charges are illegal possession of a weapon, aggravated assault and attempted aggravated robbery, according to the sheriff’s office’s website. The department issued the warrants on May 21.
And now Smith, 19, faces charges in Georgia because of a car chase.
Around 8 p. m. Thursday, according to a Gordon County Sheriff’s Office release, a deputy began to follow Smith on the highway. He tried to pull him over, but Smith sped up.
The unnamed deputy did, too. Smith wove through four lanes of traffic, but the deputy stayed behind him, according to the sheriff ’s office. They continued this way, the deputy tailing Smith, until both cars raced faster than 100 mph.
Finally, at exit 317, Smith got off the highway. But as he steered down the ramp toward state Route 225, he lost control. His car flipped and rolled off the road, rotating over and over, until a culvert halted the vehicle’s momentum.
Smith tried to crawl out of the car, according to the sheriff’s office, but the deputy stopped him. Later, doctors at the Gordon Hospital emergency room treated him for injuries that were not life-threatening.
In addition to the warrants in Hamilton County, the Gordon County Sheriff ’s Office charged Smith with attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. He remained in the Gordon County Jail on Friday afternoon until he could be driven back to Tennessee.
A spokeswoman in Hamilton County did not return a call Friday seeking information about the attempted murder charge against Smith.