Saturday Pursuit of Reckless and Dangerous Driver Begins, Ends at Home Depot

UPDATE (07/01/24 12:27 p.m.) – WNEG News has received the booking report for David Justin Freeman. Attached is his booking photo. The charges currently filed against Freeman include:

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (Felony), OBSTRUCTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS BY USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE (Felony), WILLFUL OBSTRUCTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS BY USE OF THREATS OR VIOLENCE -(Felony), FLEEING OR ATTEMPTING TO ELUDE A POLICE OFFICER (Felony), RECKLESS DRIVING (Misdemeanor), and SIMPLE ASSAULT (misdemeanor).

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On Saturday morning June 29, at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office was involved in an incident resulting in the arrest of a Clarkesville resident.

Following is an accounting of the incident and alleged actions of the suspect, as detailed in a press release issued by Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley. 

A Stephens Co. deputy was conducting a walk-through at the Toccoa Home Depot Store. During the walk through, a customer became very irate, making threatening statements and profanity-laced language at the deputy from a distance away. Store associates inside Home Depot asked the irate male subject to leave the store. The deputy approached the customer and escorted him out of the store, where he got into a red in color Chevrolet Colorado. According to witnesses, as the deputy was checking GCIC on the vehicle registration number, the man abruptly put the truck in reverse and began backing up in a dangerous manner, almost striking the deputy. The man then fled, driving recklessly through the parking lot, disregarding the pedestrian crosswalks in front of Home Depot. As he continued at a high rate of speed through the parking lot, the deputy rushed to his patrol cruiser in an attempt to stop the subject. 

Deputies determined that the driver was disregarding the deputies blue lights and siren as the red pickup truck bolted across Memorial Drive into Walmart Way. After speeding through the Walmart parking lot, the truck turned right onto Big A Road and immediately pulled back into the Walmart parking lot near Sonic, where he circled the Walmart parking lot once more. 

The suspect continued to flee, turning back onto Big A Road traveling southbound and then turning onto Fieldcrest Drive and drove into the parking lot of The Pointe Church. The pickup circled the parking lot and traveled back onto Big A Road, traveling north back into the city; the driver made a left turn into Walmart Way and into the Walmart parking lot at dangerous speeds through all the crosswalks in front of Walmart. 

The pickup traveled back into the Home Depot parking lot. At this point in the pursuit, deputies were joined by Toccoa Police. The vehicle continued to speed through the parking lot of Home Depot. The pursuing deputy, the same deputy who had interactions with the suspect inside the Home Depot store earlier, stopped his vehicle as Toccoa Police continued to pursue. As the man saw the Deputy, he swerved his truck in the direction of the deputy, striking the deputy’s cruiser head-on. Upon impact, the truck was disabled. 

Georgia State Patrol Troopers from the Toccoa and Hartwell Posts arrived on scene to assist law enforcement as they positioned themselves behind the engines of their cruisers with weapons drawn.  The man was ordered to show his hands, but he refused. Numerous demands by law enforcement were made to the driver to surrender, all to no avail, as numerous attempts to talk him out of his vehicle were ignored. 

A decision by sheriff Randy Shirley was made to breach the driver’s side glass window of the vehicle. 

Immediately upon breaching the driver’s side glass window, the man allegedly began punching and kicking officers, as well as throwing glass at law enforcement personnel. The passenger window of the vehicle was also breached in order to get a juvenile passenger out of the vehicle. The man, later identified as David Justin Freeman, 39, of Clarkesville, continued to resist law enforcement once he was forced out of his truck and was soon placed under arrest. He was transported to the Stephens County Jail. 

Freeman was arrested and remains in custody pending investigation by Stephens County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and Georgia State Patrol. 

The Juvenile was released to the custody of the Department of Family and Children’s Services, where he was subsequently released to a family member. 

According to Shirley, several law enforcement officers from Toccoa Police, Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol received minor injuries during the altercation, but declined medical treatment. A Stephens County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle sustained moderate  damage from Freeman’s decision to ram into the front left side while the vehicle was not in motion. 

Shirley stated, “The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office is thankful for the assistance provided by everyone on scene and is grateful to have resolved this incident in the quickest and safest manner possible.”