‘She was just scared to wake up to see a Hyundai hanging in her window,’ trooper says

A high-speed chase that began when a driver ran a red light ended Saturday when the fleeing motorist crashed into a home in downtown Macon, startling a woman who had been asleep on the couch, police said.

The woman was not hurt.

“She was just scared to wake up to see a Hyundai hanging in her window,” Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Michael Burns said. “It just frightened her. That was it.

“I imagine if I was sound asleep and woke up and saw a car in my living room, I’d probably be a little upset, too.”

Bibb County sheriff’s deputies began the chase at 5:52 p.m. after the motorist drove through a red light in a Hyundai Sonata at the intersection of Arkwright Road at the Interstate 75 off ramp, according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release. The car nearly hit several other vehicles.

Damien DeShun Nolen, 28, of Warner Robins was charged with fleeing and attempting to elude, aggressive driving, hit and run and other traffic offenses. He was also charged with felony marijuana possession.

Fleeing toward downtown Macon at speeds as high as 85 miles per hour, Nolan clipped the mirror of a Nissan Altima on Riverside Drive near Ingleside Drive, later struck a power pole on College Street and crashed into the home at 853 Washington Ave., according to the release.

A woman was sleeping on the couch in the converted-basement apartment of the home when the car crashed into a window, Burns said. The state patrol is investigating the crash.

The front bumper on the driver’s side hit the window and came to rest partially in the house, Burns said.

“At some point during the chase, the front tire of the car was damaged, so it had slowed way down before it hit the house. Had that not happened, it would have been a lot worse,” Burns said.

The tire was damaged when Nolen struck the power pole, the release said. The pole was not damaged.

Nolen had two passengers inside the car when it crashed, including the vehicle’s owner, who was taken to a hospital for unspecified complaints. The other passenger was released on scene, according to the release.

Nolen was being held at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center late Saturday. His bond was set at $14,690. He had outstanding warrants in Houston County and Warner Robins, according to the release.

This story was originally published August 11, 2018 at 7:15 PM.