Driver stopped for expired tag takes off, crashes, eludes police in manhunt

A man pulled over by a Monroe County sheriff’s deputy took off and was chased for 30 miles before wrecking his car and escaping, according to a Bibb County sheriff’s report.

A black Toyota Camry with an expired tag caught the eye of a Monroe deputy who pulled it over as it was passing through Forsyth on Interstate 75 southbound just before 9 p.m. Monday night.

As the deputy was getting out of the patrol car, the Camry sped off.

The deputy, joined by two other patrol cars, tailed the Camry down Interstate 475.

Initially, a Bibb County sheriff’s investigator believed the man could be the suspect in the Aug. 23 killing of 38-year-old Jian Wang at Hot Wings Plus in Macon. The sheriff’s office later said that wasn’t the case.

Georgia State Patrol had set up stop sticks to puncture the Camry’s tires, but the driver took the exit for Hartley Bridge Road and it was unsuccessful, the report said.

The Camry made a left at the red light at the end of the ramp then wheeled onto Houston Road. The driver lost control while turning left onto Ga. 247 and the car careened into the grassy median.

The driver got out and ran.

A state patrol helicopter and a Bibb County sheriff’s K9 were unable to track the man. The car was taken to the crime lab.

Update: An earlier version of this story contained the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office’s belief that the man being chased was the suspect in the Hot Wings Plus killing.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 8:22 PM with the headline "Driver stopped for expired tag takes off, crashes, eludes police in manhunt."