ATLANTA — A woman is dead and a man severely burned after a fiery accident involving a suspected stolen vehicle in the heart of Midtown Atlanta on Monday morning.
Atlanta Police said that the incident began as a report of a vehicle theft in progress around 10 a.m. at 264 Peachtree Center Avenue - the Marriot Marquis.
Police said that officers arrived to find a Jaguar SUV that had just been stolen and attempted to pull the vehicle over at Piedmont Crossing and Ralph McGill Boulevard.
The driver did come to a stop at the gate of an apartment complex on Courtland Street but police said the SUV then went in reverse and hit an officer's patrol car before escaping at high speed. Police said the driver went the wrong direction on Courtland Street and ultimately lost control near 11th and Juniper streets, slamming into a pole where the SUV burst into flames.
"A male occupant crawled out of the vehicle while on fire," a police spokesperson said in a statement released later Monday.
Atlanta Fire crews worked to put out the vehicle and a fire extinguisher was used to put out flames on the man, later identified as 23-year-old Donte Harris, who was later listed as being in critical condition. He's now receiving treatment at Grady Detention.
Authorities also found a woman dead inside the SUV, as well. Her name and age have not yet been released pending positive identification by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.
Police suggested that the deadly accident is still under investigation and that, given the preliminary nature of the information, some details may change as investigators learn additional information.