Man who jumped off I-85 bridge while running away from police turns himself in
A driver who got out of his car Thursday on I-85 and jumped 40 feet off a bridge in Buckhead after thinking police were after him has stopped running, authorities said.
Davaughn Clarke, 25, turned himself in Friday after surviving his jump, Atlanta police said in a news release. He will face 10 charges.
Just after 1:20 a.m., police tried to pull over a speeding vehicle on I-85 at Lindbergh Drive, the release said. That vehicle did not belong to Clarke, who was driving nearby.
However, he thought police were trying to pull him over, so he began to speed away, crashing his car and taking off running, AJC.com previously reported. The department released dash camera footage of the incident.
WATCH: Driver who thought police were after him survives 40-foot jump off I-85 bridge
Clarke jumped from the bridge after a brief chase and was able to escape, police said. Before he turned himself in, he was last seen running into a wooded area following his 40-foot fall.
Officers found a gun under the bridge and marijuana in his vehicle, police said.
After he turned himself in, Clarke was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He will be booked into the Fulton County Jail once he’s medically cleared to leave Grady.
Clarke will face charges of obstruction, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, failure to report an accident, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, darting out in traffic and several driving citations, police said.
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About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
