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High-Speed Chase and Crash in Atlanta

Dramatic Video Released by Atlanta Police

ATLANTA – Dramatic video released by Atlanta police shows a high-speed chase and crash involving a man with at least 37 previous arrests who ran from officers with three children in an SUV.

Gas Station Shooting and Escape

It all started just after 12:15 p.m. on December 20, 2023, at a gas station along Jonesboro Road SE near Interstate 285. Surveillance video captured the shocking events that unfolded.

“A male opened fire at a gas station while multiple people were outside,” said Officer Torez Griffie with the Atlanta Police Department.

Witnesses at the scene recounted that a man, driving a gray Jeep Cherokee, had fired shots towards a building before hastily fleeing the location. Fortunately, despite several people in the vicinity, no one was injured, and the shots only caused damage to the property.

“I saw the vehicle matching the description,” Officer Griffie said. “He was driving erratically, crazy, all over the road.”

High-Speed Chase and Capture

Officers were able to quickly issue a lookout bulletin for the SUV. Units were able to catch up with the vehicle about a block away, in a fast-food drive-thru.

The driver, later identified as 39-year-old William Burris, ignored the traffic stop. After releasing a passenger from the vehicle, Burris sped off. The passenger, who was visibly frantic, revealed that her three children, aged 8, 7, and 4, were still inside the SUV. “She just started hollering and screaming,” Griffie said.

Griffie and other officers pursued the driver through Atlanta, into Forest Park, and back into Atlanta. “The driver was driving extremely recklessly, at high rates of speed throughout city streets,” Griffie said.

The intense chase finally came to an end in the area of 2000 Lakewood Ave. The suspect swerved in front of an officer, causing a collision and effectively executing a PIT maneuver on himself. The SUV crashed through a utility pole, snapping it into pieces, and came to a stop in a grassy area off the roadway.

“I tried to set up for a PIT maneuver. He maneuvered himself in front of me, trying to avoid the pit maneuver, and he spun out,” Griffie explained.

Children Found Safe, Suspect Arrested

Officers discovered the three young children inside the SUV. Due to complaints of pain, the children were promptly moved to a safe location for medical evaluation.

“My heart dropped when I saw those children,” Griffie said. “I just wanted to make sure that they were safe.”

Meanwhile, officers worked to extract Burris from the vehicle. Pointing Tasers at him, they pulled him out through the driver-side door and placed him in handcuffs.

William Burris, a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history totaling 37 previous arrest cycles, was ultimately taken into custody. A firearm was recovered from the passenger area of the suspect’s vehicle.

Burris now faces a litany of charges, including fleeing and eluding, driving while his license is suspended, possession of marijuana and a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies, three counts of kidnapping, three counts of first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree criminal damage to property, and failure to report striking a fixed object.

Following treatment for injuries sustained in the crash, Burris was taken to the Grady Detention Center and later booked into the Fulton County Jail.

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