1/7/25 Sandy Springs, GA – 15 Year Old Relative Of A Sandy Springs Police Officer Stole His Patrol Car From The Driveway – Forsyth County Deputies Found The Patrol Car – Boxed It In – The 15 Year Old Suffered A Self Inflicted Gunshot Wound – EMS Transported – Deceased At Hospital

January 7, 2025

www.fox5atlanta.com

A 15-year-old male died Monday evening after reportedly stealing a Sandy Springs Police Department patrol vehicle and leading Forsyth County deputies to intervene in a dramatic incident near South Forsyth High School.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office received a report just before 7 p.m. Jan. 6 that a Sandy Springs police vehicle had been stolen from an officer’s driveway in Forsyth County while the officer was not at home. At 7:11 p.m., deputies located the stolen car on Peachtree Parkway near Sharon Road.

Deputies performed a “box-in” maneuver to stop the vehicle near South Forsyth High School. During the maneuver, the stolen car struck the rear of a marked Forsyth County patrol car. Upon approaching the vehicle, deputies realized the driver was not responding to commands and appeared to be bleeding from the head.

The driver was quickly removed from the vehicle and the deputies attempted life-saving measures, according to the sheriff’s office. Central EMS transported the driver to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

He was later identified as a 15-year-old family member of the officer whose vehicle was stolen. 

The case is being investigated by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit. The Sandy Springs Police Department is fully cooperating with the investigation. Further details have not been released.