ATLANTA — Police have identified two men who were killed on Wednesday by suspects trying to escape from police. They've also named the two men now charged with felony murder in their deaths.
Authorities said 43-year-old Mark Hampton and 44-year-old Jermaine Jackson died after a stolen SUV slammed head-on into their vehicle.
The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Campbellton Road, Lee Street, and Dill Avenue. Police said that the vehicle, a white Jeep Cherokee, was stolen an armed carjacking around 3:30 a.m. the same day at a Wells Fargo ATM off of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard.
Throughout the day, police had been searching for the stolen vehicle and spotted it shortly before the crash. Deputy Chief Jeff Glazier said officers lost the trail of the suspects more than once but caught up with them near Lee Street.
Police said the suspects ran a red light there at high speed and hit the other vehicle. Officials said other vehicles were involved in the crash as well.
Police later arrested Marguell Scott and Emmanuel Fambro, both 19 years old, in the aftermath of the crash and found a handgun inside the stolen SUV.
Photos: Head-on collision near Campbellton Road
Both were charged with felony murder. Marguell also faces charges of first-degree vehicular homicide, serious injury by vehicle, theft by receiving a stolen automobile, obstruction of officers, fleeing and attempting to elude police officers, criminal damage to property, reckless driving and failure to obey a traffic control device.
Fambro had additional charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and obstruction of officers.
Police chases have come under fire recently because of the risks involved, but Glazier said officers, in this case, were following protocol in pursuing the suspects because they knew the car had been taken in a carjacking - and the suspects were armed.
"We don't chase everyone. We're very strict on who we allow our officers do chase. In this case, since the vehicle was taken by gunpoint - it was a carjacking - we did allow the chase to continue," Glazier said.
Glazier said his officers at the scene were "shaken up" after the deadly crash which a witness told 11Alive left at least one vehicle unrecognizable.
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