ATLANTA — Authorities have identified the driver of a scooter who was killed Wednesday in an accident involving an Atlanta Police officer.
According to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), troopers responded to the fatal crash around 4:30 p.m. at Newcastle Street and Washington Place in Southwest Atlanta.
First responders transported the driver of the scooter, later identified as 59-year-old Marvin King, to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officer, 24-year-old Ryan Chandler, was not hurt but was also taken to Grady.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the man who lost his life in this tragic accident," Atlanta police spokesperson Jarius Daugherty said in a statement. "We are deeply sorry for their loss."
A preliminary investigation shows that Chandler ran a stop sign while not using emergency lights and hit the moped.
Nauman Malik lives nearby and heard the crash.
“The sound was like two cars collided head on,” he described. “I was still unpacking at the time and then I heard a loud crash. So, I came out to see what happened.”
Malik lives around the corner from where the crash happened, and Wednesday was his first day in the neighborhood.
“I saw a guy laying down. A cop trying to do chest compressions,” he explained.
Feet away from where the crash happened is a small memorial for King.
“The Lord woke me up this morning for me to come up here and put that candle up and that up there for him this morning,” said Cecil Brown Lee, King’s friend.
Lee told 11Alive that he started riding his scooter with King about six months ago and described him as a nice person.
The GSP's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is now conducting a follow-up investigation, along with the Atlanta Police Department. Charges are pending.
Officer Chandler has since been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Police said the victim was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
