Charges are pending against a motorcyclist who led Demorest police on a miles-long chase at speeds nearing 120 miles per hour.
Authorities arrested Darius Estavan Walker, 21, of Forest Park, following the chase on July 6.
The incident began when a Demorest police officer patrolling Demorest-Mt. Airy Highway noticed a Suzuki GSXR 650 pass by without a tag. As the officer attempted to pull him over, the biker allegedly acted as though he was going to stop, then sped away, running a red light as he turned left onto Central Avenue/Hwy. 441, the incident report states.
The chase topped speeds of 90 mph as it ran past Piedmont University in downtown Demorest and continued onto GA 385 in Cornelia. At one point, the officer states, the motorcyclist, later identified as Walker, turned onto the GA 365 southbound on-ramp, then abruptly changed course and returned to GA 385/US Business 441, fleeing southbound.
The policeman notes that Walker ran several red lights and recklessly passed several vehicles during the pursuit. The motorcycle turned onto Camp Creek Road and “rapidly accelerated to speeds of over 100 mph,” the report says.
The chase continued to Highway 197 South in Mt. Airy, where Walker turned left into the northbound lane. At that point, a Habersham County sheriff’s deputy took the lead in the pursuit, and the Demorest officer followed them.
According to the report, the chase reached speeds of nearly 120 mph before turning onto Blacksnake Road.
At the intersection of Blacksnake Road and Highway 17, the motorcycle traveled across both lanes of the highway into the grass on the right of way.
As Walker attempted to drive back up the embankment onto the highway, the Demorest officer used his patrol vehicle to block him. At that point, he says, Walker jumped off of the motorcycle and fled on foot.
According to the policeman’s account, Walker ignored verbal commands to stop, and the sheriff’s deputy deployed a K9 on him. The dog apprehended Walker, and the officers took the suspect into custody.
Habersham County EMS evaluated Walker for potential dog bites.
Walker reportedly told the officers he fled because he did not have a motorcycle license or insurance. A check of the VIN number and his name confirmed his statements. Walker’s class C license was suspended for failure to appear. A database search showed the vehicle was not stolen but had not been registered since 2014 in South Carolina.
Demorest police charged Walker with numerous violations, including felony fleeing. They also charged him with multiple misdemeanors for reckless driving, obstruction, no insurance, driving on a suspended license, driving on the wrong class of license, failure to obey traffic control devices, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving on the wrong side of the road, and passing in a no passing zone.
Authorities booked Walker at the Habersham County Detention Center. He bonded out of jail on July 7.
