A 70-year-old man allegedly driving drunk Wednesday night caused at least 15 hit-and-run wrecks in two counties, killing a woman and critically injuring another before crashing into a building in Gwinnett County.
One of the victims said the man chased him and attempted to hit him.
Mr. Michael O. Snider allegedly caused five wrecks in DeKalb County and another 10 in Gwinnett County including a fatal five-vehicle wreck on Stone Mountain Highway at Walton Court in Snellville around 8:20 p.m., according to Gwinnett County police.
In the final and fatal wreck, investigators said Mr. Snider, of Stone Mountain, was driving a grey 2006 Ford Super Duty pickup eastbound on Stone Mountain Highway when he rear-ended a grey 2000 Toyota Camry as the driver was slowing to a stop.
The impact caused the Toyota to strike a stopped vehicle and become wedged under a flatbed truck that was stopped to the left of it at U.S. 78, police spokesman Cpl. Edwin Ritter said.
“The vehicle that was in front of the Toyota was pushed into the rear of another stopped vehicle,” Cpl. Ritter said. “Mr. Snider then veered off the roadway, through a parking lot and hit the front of John Boys Home Cooking restaurant.”
The passenger of the Toyota, Ms. Mintiwab Woldeyhans, 61, of Loganville, died at the scene, he said.
The driver, Ms. Yeshihareg Abebe, 51, of Grayson, suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. Cpl. Ritter said.
Mr. Snider complained of injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment and then later released. The driver and passenger of the tractor-trailer were not injured. The drivers of the two other vehicles complained of back pain, but refused medical treatment.
No one inside the restaurant was hurt.
Mr. Snider was transported to Gwinnett County jail where he was booked in shortly after midnight on several charges including vehicular homicide, serious injury by vehicle, DUI and reckless driving, Cpl. Ritter said.
He was also charged with following too closely, and police said additional charges are pending. He was being held without bond early Thursday.
Additional charges are expected to be filed in DeKalb County, where several cars were hit on Memorial Drive.
Mr. Dennis Brown told Channel 2 Action News the suspected drunk driver slammed into the back of his Chrysler Pacifica and then followed him.
“He intentionally tried to hit me, so that’s when he chased me, literally he chased me, on the road,” Mr. Brown said. “It was like a video game. Really, I couldn’t believe he was trying to do that.”
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