Teen dies in Covington police chase after allegedly running from checkpoint

Teen killed in crash after police chase

Georgia State Patrol said the 16-year-old pulled up to a joint road check on Ga. 36 near Stone Mountain in Conyers around 10:15 p.m. on Friday. The teen drove away from that checkpoint instead of following instructions from officials. The chase ended on Ga. 81 when the teen crashed.

COVINGTON, Ga. - A teenager is dead, and another person is injured after that teen ran from a checkpoint in Covington, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

What we know:

Troopers said the 16-year-old pulled up to a joint road check on Ga. 36 near Stone Mountain around 10:15 p.m. on Friday. The teen was driving a gray Ford Fusion, and was instructed to pull into a nearby parking lot after stopping at the checkpoint.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The age of the teen was changed to 16 after GSP issued a correction from their original release. 

Instead of pulling into the lot, the teen drove away, according to GSP, and Newton County deputies chased the car. The chase started west on Ga. 36, the driver turned south onto Ga. 81 and deputies from the Newton County Sheriff's Office followed.

Troopers said the teen tried to pass another car on Ga. 81 near Flat Shoals Road, but lost control of the car. The car went off the road, hit a utility pole, and ended up back in the middle of the highway.

The teen driver died on the scene.

The passenger of the vehicle, whom police said they are working to identify, was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital.

What we don't know:

Police haven't released the name of the driver, and they most likely will not since he was a juvenile.

What's next:

The Georgia State Patrol are investigating the chase and crash.

Dig deeper:

After the crash, the Newton County Sheriff's Office released a statement on the checkpoint. It said deputies were assisting the Covington Police Department at the checkpoint.

The full statement read, "In conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Covington Police Department along with the other agencies in the Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network and Georgia State Patrol conduct monthly meetings and safety traffic check points throughout the year in the hosting agencies' jurisdiction. These meetings include approximately one hour of POST Training pertaining to traffic-related issues and the Traffic Safety Check Points focus on:
1. Drivers License, Insurance and Registration Verification
2. Seat Belt Compliance
3. Driver Impairment
4. Vehicle Fitness/Vehicle Safety Compliance"