The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office has released details of a police chase that ended in a fiery motorcycle crash Monday evening. In its first public comments since the crash, the sheriff’s office says the incident began around 5:12 p.m. on March 28. That’s when a deputy assigned to one of its specialized traffic control units tried to stop a Honda CBR ‘racing-style’ motorcycle for a tag violation on GA 365 North near Level Grove Road.
The sheriff’s office says the driver attempted to elude the deputy by moving into the left lane, rapidly accelerating to a speed “in excess of 100 mph.”
The high-speed chase continued north for nearly four miles to the intersection of Iron Ore Road. There, the sheriff’s office says, the biker turned in front of oncoming southbound traffic on GA 365 and “sped up heading south in an attempt to get away from the pursuing deputy.”
After being notified the fleeing motorcyclist had changed direction, another northbound deputy crossed the median and both southbound lanes in an attempt to slow him down. As the deputy maneuvered his vehicle into position, the sheriff’s office says the motorcyclist lost control of the bike and struck the patrol vehicle in the right front door panel.
The crash happened near the US 441/GA 385 exit in Cornelia. The impact caused the motorcycle to overturn, split in two, and catch fire. The motorcyclist, identified on the scene as 36-year-old Joshua Tate of Gainesville, suffered a broken leg. Habersham EMS transported him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where he was treated and released.
The deputy involved in the crash was not injured. The sheriff’s office is not releasing his name.
The Georgia State Patrol, which investigated the crash, says the deputy did not conduct a PIT maneuver to stop the chase. The sheriff’s office says the deputy did employ a commonly used technique to warn other drivers of the potential hazard.
“That maneuver was used to warn traffic surrounding the pursuit, as well as try to slow down the vehicle we were pursuing and channel them off of a roadway that was full of congestion for that time of day,” explains HCSO Public Information Officer Kevin Angell.
While running a background check on Tate at the scene, deputies determined he had an outstanding probation violation on a felony larceny charge out of Henry County. He now faces multiple charges in Habersham County including felony fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, speeding, reckless driving, no registration, suspended license plate, failure to signal a lane change, and failure to yield. The Georgia State Patrol charged Tate with DUI – drugs less safe.
The sheriff’s office command staff conducted an internal review and no action is expected to be taken against the deputy involved in the crash. Angell says he is not aware of any complaints prior to this incident regarding the deputy’s operation of an emergency vehicle.
As of late Tuesday, Tate remained in the Habersham County Detention Center; no bond has been set.
