Police: 2 women crashed into home while on Facebook Live
NEWNAN, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Two women in Coweta County are facing charges after investigators said they crashed into a Newnan home, causing it to catch on fire.
Investigators said Credeta Candis was driving recklessly Saturday night while passenger Rachel Rumyan was doing a Facebook Live, capturing the moment they lost control and crashed.
Newnan Police Department said that video played a key role in catching the suspects/ which is why they are not releasing that video.
FOX 5’s Elizabeth Rawlins sat down with the detective who described exactly what he saw and the circumstances that lead to the crash.
“As it came off the road, it barely missed a tree,” said Sgt. Jim Beneke. “It hit the house, you can hear them scrambling to get out of the car. The driver saying, ‘we need to leave ... we need to leave.’”
Everyone inside the home made it out safe.
Police said the two women in the car got out and started running. But were later caught when police got a tip about the Facebook Live video.
“Had we not had the video, we would not have been able to identify the driver or the passenger.”
Candis and Runyan are both facing property damage charges. Candis, the alleged drive, also faces additional charges including reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and lane drag. So far Runyan, the alleged passenger, is not facing any charges for the Facebook live video but investigators say it could potentially have been a contributing factor.
“It may have been a distraction to the driver,” said Beneke. “I’m sure it didn’t help.”
Neighbors told FOX 5 News, they aren’t surprised about the crash because they say drivers are constantly flying through the area.
“People always speed through this neighborhood, said Hubert Sims.
Sims said he has lived in the neighborhood for years and says this not the first time drivers have lost control.
“A couple of years ago, some people hit a pole and a split it,” said Sims.
Under Georgia law, the speed limit on this stretch of road is 30 miles per hour because there no signs posted. And so far, Sims said he doesn’t know of any efforts to crack down on speeders. However, residents, like Sims, are relieved knowing their streets may be a little safer. But they are hoping, the reality that this could have ended much worse will at least be a wake-up call to spark change
“We need speed bumps to slow people down and we no signs saying anything like ‘watch out for kids,’” said Sims.
FOX 5 News reached out to the city of Newnan about whether they had plans to slow drivers down. They replied with a statement which read:
“The City of Newnan has not received any individual or collective reports regarding unusual traffic or speeding activity within this area. We enjoy the cooperation of the neighborhood and their interest in a safer community and will continue to maintain the necessary signage used to promote safe vehicular traffic.”