Scene of police activity on I-75
Thomas Joseph MadrieBARTOW COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
A Bartow County sheriff's deputy chase that ended in a crash backed up traffic on Interstate 75 Thursday morning, just north of the Cobb County line.
The wreck happened just south of SR 92, shortly before 11 a.m.
According to Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap, a deputy had been given an alert for a stolen vehicle in his area near Cartersville.
Within three minutes of receiving the information, the deputy spotted the stolen silver Jeep Cherokee in a fitness center parking lot on Collins Drive.
As the deputy was approaching the car, which seemed unoccupied, Thomas Joseph Madrie, 34, suddenly sat up and drove away.
The pursuit lasted for about 10 minutes on Highway 41 through Cartersville and then onto I-75 Southbound.
The chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph.
While deputies were chasing him, Madrie crashed the Jeep into the back of a tractor-trailer that was causing traffic to slow down.
Madrie was injured and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Madrie is currently wanted for numerous charges prior to this incident including probation violation and family violence charges.
Cartersville police also seek his arrest for the theft of the SUV and Bartow County Sheriff's Office deputies will have additional charges.
The crash and police activity caused traffic to bottleneck which resulted in delays.
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