Off Duty Officer Tackles Biker To End A Georgia State Patrol Pursuit

On April 14th, 2024, at approximately 1853 hours, I (TFC A. Mathews) and TFC B. Rutledge was traveling south on Candler Road nearing Flat shoals Road when I observed a blue and gray 2020 Suzuki DR-Z400 bearing no tag operating in a reckless manner as it conducted stunts known as "wheelies" and split traffic on the broken white lane lines.
As we neared Candler Road over I-285, I observed the bike stop at a red light and begin splitting traffic to the front of the line. Traffic congestion at the intersection would not allow for Troopers to conduct an immediate box in maneuver, therefore once the light changed to green, I activated my emergency equipment to conduct a traffic stop. The rider initially
acted as if he was going to pull over before accelerating, initiating a vehicle pursuit.
The pursuit traveled at speeds that did not exceed 20 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, however the bike was operated on the sidewalks, the wrong side of the roadway, and disregarded traffic control devices at certain intersections.
As the pursuit traveled along Candler Road, the rider conducted multiple U-turns and drove through multiple private parking lots in an attempt to evade Troopers.
As the pursuit traveled north on Candler Road over I-285 once again, the rider attempted to cross over a raised median and
got stuck. An off-duty Clayton County Sheriff’s Deputy was in his personally owned vehicle (POV) next to the bike. As the
rider attempted to free the bike to continue fleeing, the off-duty Deputy exited his POV and tackled the rider off the bike,
knocking both the rider and bike to the ground. TFC Rutledge and I exited our patrol vehicles and assisted the Deputy with
placing the rider in custody.
The rider was identified as Steven Ferguson and upon a GCIC/NCIC query of his driver’s license, it revealed that it was
suspended all for failure to appear. Upon a GCIC/NCIC query of the bike’s VIN number, it revealed it had cancelled
registration and no valid insurance. The bike was impounded by South Metro Towing and Ferguson was transported to the
Dekalb County Jail where he was charged with fleeing and eluding along with multiple other traffic and license related
offenses.