by ESPN news services3 minute reading
Police have secured arrest warrants for former Georgia star Jalen Carter stemming from the top NFL draft pick’s alleged involvement in a fatal crash involving a teammate.
Athens-Clarke County police announced Wednesday that Carter will be arrested for reckless driving and racing.
The announcement came hours after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter was present at the scene of the Jan. 15 crash and later police gave shifting accounts of the wreckage.
Devin Willock, an offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, and recruiting staff Chandler LeCroy were killed in what police initially reported as a single-car accident.
Details of the investigation, released Wednesday, cited evidence that Carter and LeCroy were “operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” shortly before the crash.
“The evidence showed that both vehicles changed lanes, drove in the middle lane, drove in the opposite lane, overtook other motorists and drove at a high rate of speed, in an apparent attempt to pass each other,” the police write. so.
Police investigators have determined that “alcohol influence, racing, reckless driving and speed were significant contributing factors to the accident.” A toxicology report indicated LeCroy’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.197 — more than twice the legal limit in Georgia — at the time of the crash, according to police.
The 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy was traveling at approximately 104 mph shortly before the crash.
Carter is scheduled to address reporters Wednesday morning in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting conference.
According to documents and recordings of 911 calls reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, at least two vehicles driven by Georgia football players had been at the scene, including the 2021 Jeep Trackhawk driven by Carter, who left the scene before police or emergency personnel arrived.
Carter returned to the scene less than two hours later, according to the paper, which reported that he was asked by police if he had been racing the crashed vehicle.
Documents reviewed by the Journal-Constitution show Carter initially told police he heard the crash from a nearby apartment complex, but later told an officer he had been driving both behind and alongside the SUV driven by LeCroy.
The Journal-Constitution also obtained surveillance video footage from several locations in downtown Athens, Georgia, taken the night after the crash. The footage, which has also been reviewed by police, shows three vehicles leaving the area at the same time: Carter’s Jeep, LeCroy’s Ford, and a 2019 Dodge Charger driven by Bulldogs linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.
Carter denied driving to the officer, who observed no signs that the 310-pound defensive lineman had been drinking, according to the Journal-Constitution.
The crash happened hours after the Bulldogs celebrated winning back-to-back national championships with a parade and ceremony at Sanford Stadium. Willock, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, while LeCroy, 24, died shortly after being taken to hospital.
Police investigators said the Ford driven by LeCroy “failed to negotiate a left curve, resulting in the vehicle striking the curb with its front passenger tire and leaving the roadway on the west shoulder.”
The SUV hit a Georgia Power pole and another utility pole, splitting them in half before hitting a tree in the rear passenger quarter. That sent the vehicle spinning clockwise before slamming into another tree on the driver’s side — where both LeCroy and Willock were sitting.
Georgia athletic department officials have stated that the SUV driven by LeCroy was only to be used for recruiting activities, not personal use.
Carter is the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. He will not participate in the practice portion of this week’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but will conduct interviews with teams and undergo a physical.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
