Cornelia Police have arrested a suspect in a hit-and-run wreck at a local car dealership.
Tristan Ray Hunsucker, 21, of Clarkesville, was taken into custody Monday evening. Police charged him with two misdemeanors.
A Facebook user who saw widely-circulated security camera footage of the incident tipped off police to Hunsucker’s identity. That person will receive a $500 reward from Top Line Auto Brokers owner Guillermo Perez.
The video, shot on April 22, shows a red flatbed truck veer off the main road onto the grass outside Perez’s car lot at 896 North Main Street. The truck struck a parked Chevy Impala that was on display and then drove away.
Hunsucker and a family member told police he was at home in the truck at 10 a.m. on the day of the accident, but the police report points to evidence that disputes that.
According to the report, police viewed video footage of a truck matching Hunsucker’s vehicle at a garage and wrecker service in Banks County at 11:12 a.m. on April 22 — approximately one hour before the Top Line collision. The report also states that a mechanic at the garage told officers Hunsucker was there.
Officers who interviewed Hunsucker at his home the day after the accident indicated in their report that one of the truck doors had been replaced, and there were signs of fresh paint on the vehicle.
Hunsucker has denied any wrongdoing.
Perez says the accident totaled the Impala on his lot, causing over $8,000 in damages.
“I’d like to thank the community for all the help!” Perez tells Now Habersham. “This gentlemen who won the reward went above and beyond to help us.”
