A traffic stop was underway in Lavonia when a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado nearly struck an officer in the emergency lane, according to Georgia State Patrol. The driver, identified as 24-year-old Hector Uriel Aviles Ferrer, was taken into custody after the truck flipped over during a trooper's P.I.T. maneuver, and he now faces felony fleeing, DUI and other traffic-related charges.
According to wyff4.com, a Georgia State Patrol trooper and a Lavonia Police Department officer were in the middle of a traffic stop when the Silverado, driving in the emergency lane, nearly struck one of the officers. Troopers said the driver then refused to stop after being ordered to do so, prompting a pursuit that began on southbound I-85.
Truck Used Shoulder to Pass Tractor-Trailer During Chase
As the chase unfolded, the truck continued using the emergency lane to pass a tractor-trailer, per troopers. The pursuit ultimately ended when a Georgia State Patrol trooper used a P.I.T. maneuver at mile marker 165 on I-85, a tactic that forces a fleeing vehicle to spin out and stop.
After the maneuver, the truck reportedly made a clockwise turn, traveled over the right shoulder and flipped over. Troopers said no one was injured during the incident. Aviles Ferrer continued actively resisting officers before he was eventually taken into custody, according to officials.
Charges Filed After Arrest
Aviles Ferrer was charged with felony fleeing, DUI and other traffic-related offenses, per the same account. No further details on the additional charges, a booking location or a court date have been released.
Fleeing drivers using the shoulder or emergency lane to pass traffic during I-85 pursuits has shown up in other recent reports from the corridor. In a separate case in September, a Greenville man was charged after leading troopers on a chase involving a stolen white Volkswagen Tiguan that crossed into Georgia from South Carolina on I-85, according to Fox Carolina. Troopers said a P.I.T. maneuver in Banks County sent that SUV off the west shoulder of the interstate, and no injuries were reported in that incident either. In an earlier, unrelated case on I-85 South, a driver who refused to stop led Franklin County deputies on a chase reaching speeds over 120 mph before being stopped with a P.I.T. maneuver near mile marker 166, per a separate WYFF4 report.
