A motorcyclist and a teenage girl are dead after the rider crashed into her vehicle in Acworth during a high-speed pursuit Monday evening that stretched across county lines, authorities said.
Bartow County deputies were chasing two motorcycle riders suspected of racing on U.S. 41 and requested the assistance of the Georgia State Patrol around 9:20 p.m., according to the state agency. A trooper took the lead at Old Alabama Road in pursing one of the riders, identified as 20-year-old Reginald L. Knight of Kennesaw, who continued along the highway in a “reckless manner,” the GSP said.
Knight entered Cobb County and was traveling at “a high speed” as he approached the intersection of Cobb Parkway and Acworth Summit Boulevard, authorities said. He then struck a Honda Accord, which was turning left, and died at the scene, according to the GSP.
A passenger in the Honda, identified as 15-year-old Joelle Keili, was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the GSP said. She died Monday, according to the state agency and her obituary.
Keili was a student at Allatoona High School in Acworth, officials said.
“Our hearts go out to the Allatoona community following the news of the death of one of their students,” a Cobb County school district spokesperson said. “Our thoughts are with her family, friends and teachers.”
Acworth police said they only helped with “scene management” and were not involved with the pursuit. An investigation is ongoing.
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