GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County father is in jail after police say he abandoned his children at a crash scene to attempt two carjackings at a Publix parking lot.
Officers arrested 37-year-old Michael Terrell after what police describe as a series of increasingly desperate decisions.
“You left your kids there and you just ran away,” an officer can be heard telling Terrell on body camera video.
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Police say Terrell caused the crash on Buford Drive and Old Peachtree Road just after 6 p.m. Sunday.
Instead of checking on his children, investigators say Terrell ran across the street to a Publix parking lot.
“When he was attempting to hijack vehicles across the street, his 4-year-old and 8-year-old were still in the vehicle,” said Cpl. Angela Carter with Gwinnett County Police.
Police say Terrell tried to carjack two different people at the Publix. One victim had to physically push Terrell away after he opened the car door and tried to pull the victim out, according to police.
When both carjacking attempts failed, officers tracked Terrell to a nearby BP gas station where they arrested him.
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During the investigation, police say they found a gun in the driver’s side door of Terrell’s vehicle.
“When he got to the jail, they’d actually located a white powdery substance suspected to be cocaine on his person,” Carter said.
The children were not properly restrained during the crash but were unharmed, according to an arrest warrant.
“It’s not common that people leave their young children in the vehicle, especially when they’re not in proper seating as well,” Carter said. “A very dangerous situation.”
Terrell faces 13 charges, including hijacking a motor vehicle, DUI and child endangerment.
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