An 18-year-old driver accused of hitting 145 mph during a stunt driving takeover near Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Norcross has bonded out of the Gwinnett County jail, facing 15 charges including hit-and-run after police say he crashed into another vehicle and ran from the scene. Trey Adkins, of Jasper, Georgia, was booked into the jail on Monday and released Tuesday, with his first court appearance still pending.
According to WSB-TV, Georgia State Patrol troopers say Adkins was participating in a stunt driving takeover when he sped away on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, reaching speeds over 100 mph before topping out at 145 mph. The crash happened just after midnight on September 24 near Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Blue Ridge Industrial Parkway, seriously injuring the other vehicle's driver. No deaths resulted from the crash, and Adkins allegedly ran from the scene after troopers had arrived at the stunt-driving event.
A Pattern That Keeps Repeating Across Gwinnett County
The incident lands amid a string of high-speed street racing cases that have rattled Gwinnett County throughout 2026. In July, Susan Kirkland was killed on Old Norcross Road near Lawrenceville when a 2001 Mercedes racing a motorcycle at 93 mph in a 45 mph zone T-boned her car as she turned out of her subdivision, according to WSB-TV. Kirkland had been driving to work when two racing drivers passed at least six cars before the fatal impact, the outlet reported.
Gwinnett County police later charged the Mercedes driver, Fabian Ricardo Harris, with first-degree vehicular homicide and set his bond at $25,000, while motorcyclist Michael Edward Pestle was denied bond and charged with vehicular homicide for allegedly riding home after watching the rollover crash without stopping. Kathy Vosper, who lost her friend Kirkland in the crash, said street racing is touching lives across the county. “It's really infuriating that these people are able to get away before the police get there,” Vosper said.
An Unborn Child Among the Victims
Another case from earlier this year underscores the human toll of Gwinnett's street racing surge. Police charged 33-year-old Dorin Lupas with first-degree feticide by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, and street racing after airbag data showed he held his accelerator fully floor-pressed for three seconds to hit 94 mph on Satellite Boulevard before crashing into a pregnant woman's vehicle in June, per the same account from WSB-TV. The crash severely injured couple Samantha and Symeon Izaguirre and killed their unborn son, Zion; the couple has since moved away from Gwinnett County.
That same month, Gwinnett County authorities arrested a 17-year-old driver on felony hit-and-run and serious injury by vehicle charges after he allegedly engaged in a 121-mph street race on Interstate 985 in Buford that severely injured another motorist. The teen was held without bond following that crash, part of what has become a recurring pattern of triple-digit speeds on Gwinnett highways this year.
Tougher Laws Haven't Stopped the Crashes
Georgia lawmakers created the criminal offense of reckless stunt driving under state law in 2021; a first offense is punishable by 10 days to six months in jail, a fine of at least $300, and license suspension, according to Gwinnett County Government. A related state statute makes knowingly promoting or organizing an illegal drag race or street takeover a high and aggravated misdemeanor as well, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and fines up to $5,000. A third conviction for reckless stunt driving within five years triggers habitual-violator status, and the state can confiscate the vehicle.
Despite those tougher laws, high-speed collisions causing severe injuries and fatalities keep occurring on major Gwinnett thoroughfares including Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Satellite Boulevard, and Old Norcross Road. The problem extends beyond county lines, too: a December 2025 analysis of Georgia State Patrol records found troopers engaged in 6,760 vehicle pursuits statewide between 2019 and 2023, with 3,428 ending in crashes that caused 1,917 injuries and 63 deaths, Hoodline previously reported.
Adkins is now awaiting his first court appearance after bonding out of the Gwinnett County jail. The 15 charges against him and the exact disposition of his case remain to be determined as the court process moves forward.
