DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Police are looking for a suspect who led them on a high-speed chase and crashed. The driver crashed into a sign at a gas station and then took off.
The driver left a 7-year-old girl lying injured outside the car.
The crash happened on Gresham Road in DeKalb County Monday morning.
At 7:20 a.m., police said an Audi was speeding on Interstate 20 near Moreland Avenue. A trooper attempted to stop the driver. He said initially the driver slowed down, but then accelerated at a high rate of speed and the trooper chased him.
The driver, identified as 25-year-old Kadeem D'Anto Fletcher, made an abrupt exit off I-20 eastbound onto Gresham Road, jumped the curb, and crashed into the sign.
Police said Fletcher got out of the car and ran police are still looking for him.
The injured girl was transported to Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston.
Fletcher will face charges including reckless driving, fleeing and attempt to elude an officer, hit-and-run and serious injury by vehicle.
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A witness told Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes the crash happened so fast and the cement guards that are supposed to stop a car from hitting this pole didn't do its job.
A witness gave Channel 2 Action News cellphone video showing the girl on the ground, who was ejected from the car.
"I've seen them hit, I've seen them leaning but never all the way to the ground," said repairman Mike Johnson.
Johnson installed the sign at the Texaco gas station and now he's trying to figure out how to remove it and install a new one.
He's never seen one damaged like it before.
“In 18 years, I've never seen it snap like that, it takes a torch to cut through it like 30 to 40 minutes, for it to hit that hard, that's pretty amazing,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the particular sign costs $20,000 and the cement poles were supposed to protect it. He said it could be awhile for this one is replaced.