A suspected hotel car-break-in crew turned Interstate 20 into a high-speed racetrack in the early hours of Tuesday, July 21, before Conyers police spun their car out and hauled two people off to jail while a third bolted into the dark.
Investigators say the chase started after officers spotted a vehicle they believed was tied to a string of hotel car break-ins. The pursuit briefly hit about 136 mph on I-20, according to police, before officers used a PIT maneuver to stop the car. Two occupants were arrested at the scene, and a third took off on foot. Multiple firearms were later recovered from the vehicle as the investigation continues.
Officers first responded around 3:17 a.m. to reports of active vehicle break-ins at the Comfort Inn on Klondike Road and quickly saw a car that matched the suspect description, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Dispatchers told units to look for a white Chevrolet Malibu, and the chase soon shifted onto I-20 near Panola Road, where a supervisor pulled off the PIT maneuver that ended the pursuit.
How the Chase Unfolded
The pursuit began in the pre-dawn hours and briefly topped roughly 136 mph before the Malibu was forced to a stop, according to WSB-TV. When the dust settled, officers took two people into custody while a third suspect ran away from the scene.
Local investigators believe the car is tied to about a dozen vehicle break-ins at three different hotels in Conyers. The early-morning hotel parking lots, they say, were the prime hunting grounds for the crew.
Evidence Recovered at the Scene
Police say they pulled several firearms from the stopped vehicle, including at least one conversion device commonly called a "Glock switch," which can turn a semiautomatic pistol into an automatic weapon, according to 95.5 WSB. Conyers Capt. Quantavis Garcia told reporters the firepower found in the car means the case could grow beyond simple property crime.
Legal Implications
Federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives treat machine-gun conversion devices as illegal, and recent releases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office show that just possessing a "Glock switch" can bring federal weapons charges and prison time, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. If federal agents get involved, the suspects could face weapons counts on top of any local charges for vehicle break-ins and theft.
What Police Are Asking the Public
Conyers police have not yet released the suspects’ names or a full list of charges and are asking anyone with video or information to contact the department, local outlets report. Detectives are still processing evidence from the car and hotel scenes, and the search for the third suspect is very much active.
