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100 mph chase ends with stolen car suspect leaping into Lake Hartwell

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  May 24, 2026 5:53 PM EDT
Georgia
FOX 5 Atlanta
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High-speed chase with a stolen car suspect ends at Lake Hartwell (Georgia State Patrol).

The Brief

    • A Georgia State Patrol Trooper spotted a reported stolen vehicle just after noon in Lavonia, initiating a pursuit with speeds exceeding 100 mph.
    • The chase ended when the vehicle crashed into a guardrail on GA Highway 328 near Lake Hartwell.
    • The driver fled on foot and jumped into the lake, where officers used a civilian's boat to apprehend him.

LAVONIA, Ga. - A high-speed chase involving a stolen vehicle on Sunday ended with a suspect leaping into Lake Hartwell in an attempt to escape law enforcement.

High-speed pursuit and crash

What we know:

According to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), a white 2017 Subaru Outback was reported stolen early Sunday from the Ridge Road area in Hart County. A trooper later located the vehicle on Highway 17/Gerrard Road near Pleasant Hill Road in Franklin County.

The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the driver immediately took off down Gerrard Road and onto GA Highway 328 (Gumlog Road) with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, GSP said.

The chase reportedly came to an end when the driver lost control while attempting to negotiate a bridge curve near mile marker 3 on GA Highway 328. The vehicle traveled onto the shoulder, crashed into the guardrail, and came to a stop straddling the southbound fog line.

Lake capture using civilian boat

What we know:

Authorities say that after crashing, the driver got out of the vehicle and took off on foot, jumping into Lake Hartwell and then swimming toward the middle of a nearby cove to evade law enforcement.

Responding agencies quickly established a perimeter around the area. A Hart County Sheriff's deputy and a Lavonia Police officer utilized a nearby citizen's boat to reach the suspect in the water and safely take him into custody.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Lavonia resident Sean Austin Mays, was taken to St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital with minor injuries.

What's next:

Mays is currently in the custody of the Hart County Sheriff’s Office. He faces multiple charges including felony theft by taking and felony entering auto, and felony fleeing and attempting to elude, in addition to several traffic-related offenses.

The Source: The information in this story was compiled directly from official press releases provided by the Lavonia Police Department, the Hart County Sheriff's Office, and the Georgia State Patrol Post 52.


 

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