FBPD: Drunk driver deliberately crashes during chase

A Sugar Hill man who led Flowery Branch Police on a brief chase recently deliberately crashed his vehicle during the pursuit, according to a police department spokesman.

Assistant Chief Todd Templeton said Wednesday that on March 6, officers stopped Austin Giovanni Griffin’s vehicle for a traffic offense.

“During the course of the investigation the driver fled the stop,” Templeton said. “Officers engaged in a brief vehicle pursuit before the vehicle intentionally left the roadway and was forced to come to a stop.”

Griffin, Templeton said, was immediately taken into custody and charged with:

 DUI
 Possession of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance
 Fleeing or Attempting to Elude
 Reckless Driving
 Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign
 Driving on Wrong Side of Roadway
 Open Container Violation While Operating Motor Vehicle
 Failure to Maintain Lane
 Use of Wireless Device While Driving
 Speeding
 Failure to Stop When Emerging From Alley, Driveway, or Building

“He was medically cleared on scene,” Templeton added, “and subsequently transported to the
Hall County Jail.”