Lawrenceville Man Arrested Following High Speed Chase

Driving like a scene from The Fast and the Furious reportedly landed a Lawrenceville, Ga. man behind bars over the weekend.

According to Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell, Justin Kenneth Belcher, 18, of Lawrenceville was arrested after leading police in the county on a high-speed chase that ended with a crash on Saturday night.

AccessNorthGA.com reports Belcher reached speeds of more than 100mph in his 2004 Nissan 350Z as he fled from police officers, sheriff's deputies and the Georgia State Patrol.

Belcher reportedly turned off his headlights as he tried to elude law enforcement.
"When he came up to Level Grove, of course he slowed down and changed lanes - and he purposely changed lanes and got in the oncoming traffic," said Terrell to the online news site.

Vehicles from the Department of Natural Resources and the Baldwin Police Department were set up to alert drivers of the situation. That's when Belcher reportedly struck a DNR truck before turning onto another road.

"Every time he'd go around a curve of any significance, he would drift the car around the curve - he'd kick the rear end, drift it around, like in the movies or something," Terrell said to AccessNorthGA.com.

The driver eventually lost control of the Nissan and crashed into two buildings.

Belcher faces a long list of charges including two counts of failure to maintain lane, two counts of wrong side of road, two counts of reckless driving, operation without lights required by law, damage to department property, failure to obey signs or control devices, passing in no-passing zone, window tint violation, defective tires, failure to report accident, hit and run/failure to stop and render aid, fleeing or attempting to elude police officer, two counts of speeding, and a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

"He said he ran because he saw the police and he got scared," Terrell told the website. "He's on probation for a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. He was driving like it was more than that."

Belcher was released on an $18,720 bond Monday night.

The Habersham County Sheriff's Office is reviewing in-car video of the chase.