Man, 85, suspect killed in car crash

Two men died in a car accident Thursday night after a report of a stolen car and a high-speed chase on Interstate 75 in Catoosa County, Georgia.

About 11:30 p.m., the Georgia State Patrol was notified by Ringgold police and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office about a stolen vehicle.

A Tennessee man in his mid-40s had reportedly stolen a 2005 Ford Mustang from the Circle K at Battlefield Parkway and I-75. Police and deputies spotted a Mustang at Battlefield Parkway and Smitherman Road and tried to pull the driver over. That’s when the highspeed chase started.

The driver sped off on I-75 heading north and reached speeds of more than 100 mph near mile marker 343 in the left lane, authorities say.

As the driver was going over 100 mph, he changed lanes and struck a Dodge Ram pickup in the middle lane that was driven by an 85-year-old man from Butler, Georgia.

The Mustang hit the Ram in the rear and caused the pickup to veer left and careen across the median into the southbound lanes of I-75, police said.

The pickup rolled over three and half times before coming to a rest on its right side. The 85-yearold driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mustang was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from that vehicle, authorities said. He also was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cpl. Scotty Smith with the Georgia State Patrol said Friday the Catoosa County coroner was in the process of notifying the next of kin for the deceased.