The family of a man who died after an alleged hit-and-run driver crashed into his broken-down car on an Atlanta interstate found a small measure of relief Friday when they reached a settlement with the suspect’s insurer, according to their attorney.
The case began May 26 just before midnight when officers were called to the scene of a crash on I-85 North near 17th Street, Atlanta police said. Officers found the driver of a Kia Optima suffering from critical injuries on the shoulder of the interstate. The man was taken to the hospital but did not survive. He was later identified as 27-year-old Abari Meade, according to court documents.
Investigators learned that the Kia was hit by a Chevrolet Suburban traveling north on the Downtown Connector, police said. At the I-75/85 split, the Chevy cut from the I-75 lanes across the triangular buffer area toward the I-85 lanes. It hit the Kia on the right shoulder, police said, and the SUV’s driver left the scene.
About 10 days later, 59-year-old Godreque Newsom turned himself in and was charged with multiple counts, including first-degree homicide by vehicle, police said. Newsom is a veteran of multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Atlanta Police Department, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and Jonesboro Police Department, according to his attorney, Bruce Harvey.