This is one wild ride – literally and figuratively. A crime spree that began in the area of the Douglas Golf and Country Club early on Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, made it all the way to Valdosta then back to Douglas again, where it ended in a spectacular PIT maneuver near the intersection of US 441 South and Bowens Mill Road.
Early Sunday morning, at least four individuals – two adults and two juveniles – allegedly entered several vehicles throughout the golf club neighborhood. Their big score came on Center Road where they allegedly stole a silver 2006 Ford Escape. The car’s owners have small children and the thieves took out their baby stroller, car seat, seat headrest, and other items before they took the car, according to a report from the Douglas Police Department.
The thieves apparently took the car to Lowndes County, where they took the original license plate off the car and replaced it with another plate. Early Monday morning, a Lowndes County deputy spotted the Focus driving around with its lights off. The deputy attempted to make a traffic stop and the vehicle fled. The driver pointed the car north and led officers on a high speed chase back to Douglas.
At the county line, Coffee County officers picked up the chase. They deployed spike strips, which did not stop the vehicle. As the Focus approached the intersection of 441 and Bowens Mill Road (near Wendy’s), a Coffee County deputy executed a PIT maneuver that crashed the car and ended the chase.
Four individuals were inside the car and all were arrested. Two were juveniles; the adults, however, were identified as Alexander Clayton Hernandez, 17, and Deiondrey Sentell Mack, 18, of Fitzgerald. They were charged with theft by taking. No one was hurt as a result of the crash.
A search of the vehicle yielded a number of items that belonged to several residents in the neighborhood. Those items were returned to their owners. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with any information or surveillance camera footage from that night should contact jclayton@cityofdouglasga.com.