(FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ga.) — A high-speed chase that began on Interstate 85 in Franklin County ended in a violent crash Wednesday afternoon, seriously injuring a North Carolina man and disrupting traffic in Banks County.
Authorities identified the driver as 33-year-old Daquieze Davonte Lumar Marshall of Charlotte.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop Marshall around 1:42 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Marshall was driving a black 2022 Kia K5 at 85 mph in a 70 mph zone on I-85 South near the Lavonia exit.
Instead of stopping, Marshall fled. Deputies said he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase down the interstate.
The Kia continued southbound at high speeds, driving aggressively and passing other vehicles by using the grass median. A Georgia State Patrol trooper took over the pursuit between Ga. 63 and the Commerce exit, with Banks County deputies later assuming the lead.
Near Maysville, Marshall drove onto the grass shoulder and traveled the wrong way up the southbound exit ramp. He then turned west onto Ga. 98.
A short time later, Marshall attempted to improperly pass a red Toyota RAV4. The Kia struck the rear driver’s side of the Toyota in the westbound lane.
After the impact, the Kia left the roadway, struck a stop sign, hit a driveway culvert, and became airborne for about 129 feet. The vehicle overturned multiple times before coming to rest upside down in a group of trees off the south shoulder of Ga. 98.
Marshall suffered serious injuries. Deputies and troopers performed life-saving measures at the scene before Jackson County EMS transported him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s Gainesville campus.
The driver of the Toyota, 70-year-old Fred Grindle of Gillsville, suffered minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office will handle all charges. Georgia State Patrol Troop B’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is assisting with the investigation.
