A high-speed chase on GA 365, reaching speeds of up to 134 mph, ended in a wreck late Friday night in Habersham County. The chase began in neighboring Hall County after a driver fled from a traffic stop, the Georgia State Patrol says.
33-year-old Michael Hoitink of Lula had outstanding warrants against him in Hall and White counties. He now faces additional charges stemming from the chase.
That pursuit began around 10:17 p.m. on April 1 when a trooper from Georgia State Patrol Post 6 in Gainesville initiated a stop on a Hyundai Sonata for an equipment violation.
“The trooper approached the vehicle and asked the driver to present his driver’s license. The driver advised that he did not have his license with him. The driver was ordered to exit the vehicle, but refused, accelerated the vehicle, and initiated a pursuit,” says GSP Public Information Officer Konswello Monroe.
The pursuit continued on several rural roads, eventually leading to GA 365 northbound.
Notified of the ongoing chase, Habersham deputies deployed spike strips on GA 365 near U.S. 441/GA 385 in Cornelia. The trooper’s patrol car struck one of the strips with his right front tire, disabling his vehicle.
Deputies with Habersham’s specialized traffic control units – HEAT and STEP – took over the pursuit. It continued for approximately six miles north on GA 365 before ending in a crash near Double Bridge Road.
State troopers investigating the crash said Sunday that the suspect’s vehicle also ran over the spike strips. Their report states that while being pursued, the car “made an abrupt left turn into the cable barrier located in the center median causing heavy damage to the left front and side of the vehicle.”
After impact, Hoitink drove past the end of the newly-installed cable barrier, crossed over the median and southbound lanes of GA 365, and landed in a ditch on the west shoulder of the highway.
Habersham County patrol cars did not make contact with the fleeing vehicle during the chase, officials say.
“Our deputies lined up to perform a PIT maneuver, however, the driver either took evasive action or lost control of the vehicle and entered the median resulting in the crash which was ultimately investigated by GSP,” says HCSO Public Information Officer Deputy Kevin Angell.
Deputies took Hoitink into custody after a brief struggle, Monroe says.
The Georgia State Patrol and Habersham County Sheriff’s Office both filed charges against Hoitink. Those charges include felony fleeing, reckless driving, speeding, DUI, driving on a suspended license, and other traffic violations.
Deputies booked Hoitink at the Habersham County Detention Center. As of Sunday, April 3, he remained in jail.
This is the second high-speed chase and wreck on GA 365 in Habersham County within a week.
On March 28, a motorcyclist fled when a deputy tried to stop him for a tag violation. That chase ended when the fleeing biker ran into a Habersham County patrol car. The sheriff’s office says the deputy pulled his vehicle across the highway during the chase to alert other motorists and to channel the bike onto the shoulder of the road.
