MONROE COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities say four men died and two others suffered injuries in Monroe County after a Dodge Charger sped away from a sheriff’s deputy, crashed and caught fire. Deputies attempted to stop the car going more than 100 miles per hour on I-75 early Sunday morning.
Around 12:15 am, a Monroe County deputy clocked the Charger at 102 miles per hour, the sheriff's office said. Before the deputy could even initiate a traffic stop, the driver sped off going nearly 137 miles per hour.
Once the deputy tired to pull over the car, the driver increased its speed to nearly 170 miles per hour and refused to stop, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
They said the deputy lost sight of the car and about five minutes later, a citizen located a man on the 198 exit ramp, as well as a Dodge Charger, in the wood line, which was on fire.
Monroe County and Butts County deputies arrived on scene and began attempting to remove passengers and extinguish the fire, they said.
The deputies were able to remove two occupants "before they were no longer able to see due to the smoke and flames."
Two men were transported by EMS to Navicent Health in Macon. Four other males were pronounced dead at the scene, Monroe County authorities said.
Three guns were located on the scene, as well as 17 credit cards, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office says the investigation is ongoing and no names have been released.