Suspects With AK-47 Attempt to Flee Georgia State Patrol | Trooper Wastes No Time With PIT

On 10/08/20 at approximately 2348 hours, while sitting stationary on westbound Interstate 16
near mile marker 166 I, Trooper Zachary Walker (201), observed a black Chevrolet Cruze traveling in
the left lane at a high rate of speed. I checked the vehicle with the rear antenna of my RADAR unit at
73 mph in a 55 mph zone. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle near mile marker 165. I observed the
Cruze change lanes from the center lane to the right lane. The Cruze then activated the right turn
signal and merged towards the shoulder. The Cruze accelerated quickly in the right lane. With my
blue lights and siren activated, the Cruze failed to stop, but rather accelerated at a high rate of speed. I
notified the radio room of the pursuit. The Cruze continued westbound and exited onto exit 164
towards westbound Interstate 516. As it negotiated the curve of the on ramp, the Cruze passed
another vehicle on the shoulder nearly striking the other vehicle. As we entered onto Interstate 516, I
observed there to be no vehicles in front of us. I quickly ruled out the possibility of a box in or the use
of stop sticks as all other Troopers were located in the downtown Savannah area. As the vehicle was
traveling westbound, I determined the Cruze would either travel to downtown Savannah or downtown
Garden City. I determined that the pursuit needed to be terminated via the Precision Immobilization
Technique. I positioned my patrol car on the passenger's side of the Cruze, matched my speed with
the speed of the Cruze, placed my push bar against the passenger's side rear fender, and turned my
steering wheel slightly counter-clockwise. This caused the Cruze to rotate clockwise, lose control, and
slide westbound, striking the guard rail. The Cruze then came to an uncontrolled rest facing eastbound
in the westbound lanes.
I turned my patrol car around, and observed the driver climbing out of the driver's side window.
Due to the unknown situation, I unholstered my agency issued Glock 45 and gave the driver loud
verbal commands to show me his hands. I ran towards the vehicle as I believed the driver was
attempting to flee on foot. The driver then climbed back into the Cruze. I could not see into the vehicle
fully. Corporal Sherman McClain (840) and Trooper First Class Erik Lawrence (611) arrived on scene.
Corporal McClain, TFC Lawrence, and I kept our firearms positioned on the vehicle until we determined
the driver and passenger were unable to exit the vehicle on their own. Once we observed the driver
and passenger to have their hands in the air, we holstered our firearms. We were then able to assist
the driver and passenger out of the vehicle and place them into custody without further incident.
The driver was identified as Richard Wright II with a date of birth of /94. The passenger
was identified as Brian Davis with a date of birth of /94. Inside the passenger's area, a loaded
AK-47 variant was discovered with a black and white bandana wrapped around it. Three bags of
marijuana weighing approximately 1.47 ounces were found in the front passenger's area. Inside the
front left pocket of Mr. Wright was $2,381 in miscellaneous U.S. currency. I observed the driver's
seatbelts to be locked to the B-pillar indicating it was not worn during the accident. The front
passenger’s seatbelt was buckled behind the passenger, locked, and laid flat against the passenger’s
seat. While checking the registration through GCIC/NCIC, I observed it to have no insurance. I
observed Mr. Wright's eyes to be blood shot and watery. I detected an odor of marijuana coming from Mr. Wright's person. Mr. Wright stated he did not know what pills he had taken that day. Due to the
situation, standardized field sobriety testing was not administered. I read the Georgia Implied Consent
Notice requesting blood for suspects age 21 and over to which Mr. Wright stated he would not take the
state test of his blood. The radio room checked the criminal history of both Mr. Wright and Mr. Davis.
It was discovered Mr. Wright was a convicted felon.
Mr. Wright complained of leg, and shoulder pain. He was transported to Memorial Hospital via
Chatham County EMS. Mr. Davis was transported to Memorial Hospital by TFC Lawrence. After being
medically cleared, TFC Lawrence transported Mr. Davis to the Chatham County Jail. The vehicle was
towed by Sapp's Wrecker Service. The money, marijuana, and firearm were turned over to Detective
Nicholas Melke of the Savannah Police Department under case number 20-10-09-001 and 20-10-09-
005. I transported Mr. Wright from the hospital to the Chatham County Jail. Mr. Wright was issued
citations, a DDS-1205, and released to the jail.