Burglary suspects lead Peachtree City officers on chase
Datavious Stephens, Frederick Hammond, and Johntavious Bailey
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. - A group of smash and grab burglary suspects are in jail after leading police on a chase through Fayette County.
Peachtree City Police responded to a report of a burglary at The Avenue shopping center in around 5:00 Wednesday morning.
According to investigators, the men backed a stolen SUV through the front door of Simply Mac, a computer retailer, to smash the glass. The men then went inside and grabbed several computers.
"We had an officer that was just around the corner and he arrived to find the suspects driving out from the store," said Lt. Odilia Bergh.
The first officer on scene tried to stop the SUV, but the driver took off, leading him on a chase down Highway 74. One of the officers who responded as back up deployed stop sticks, which punctured the tires of the SUV and forced the driver off the road where it crashed into some trees.
Police arrested two suspects on the scene. A third suspect ran away, but officers captured him a few hours later.
Dontavious Stephens, 21, Frederick Lee Hammonds, 26, and Johntavious Bailey, 24, of Atlanta are charged with burglary, attempting to elude and other charges.
"The message that we want to send to those that are considering coming to our city is that our officers are devoted to keeping this city safe," said Lt. Bergh. "We are vigilant 24/7 and that we will do all that we can to ensure that we are not victims of crimes."