A Savannah man remains under guard at a hospital after "crashing a stolen car in an attempt to avoid a police officer who was not pursuing him Wednesday morning," police say.
Ronald Antwan Grady, 30, of the 1400 block of East 36th Street was transported to Memorial University Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition following surgery after the 10:28 a.m. crash at Augusta Avenue and Millen Street.
Officers had saturated west Savannah searching for him "after he ran from the stolen red Ford Focus he had driven through the intersection trying to avoid a traffic officer in the area."
Officers said Grady was traveling eastbound on Augusta Avenue at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the Ford and struck a utility pole. The impact caused the car to spin into a tree and another pole and came to rest on the driver's door side.
Grady attempted to flee "but residents in the area directed another responding officer to a house where he found Grady on the front porch."
The car had been reported stolen from the grounds of a business in the 600 block of West 51st Street Tuesday after an employee had left the keys in the ignition. It was destroyed in the crash.
Grady was released from prison Nov. 4, 2013, after serving a 10-year sentence for burglary, theft, aggravated assault and kidnapping in 2003.
• Three men were arrested after drawing attention of a combined force of law enforcement officers beginning a three-night crime sweep last Thursday.
Participants in the operation "Total Focus" watched the three men, all convicted felons, "study two convenience stores before confronting them at a third store at Waters Avenue and Victory Drive."
After capturing one of the men in a chase, officers found marijuana, gloves and a stolen firearm. The arrests were among several, including another man found with a stolen pistol in a later case.
Robert Douglas Morgan, 29, of the 1300 block of East 34th Street, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, obstruction and theft by receiving. Lawrence Sheppard Jr., 41, of, the 600 block of West 31st Street, was charged with operating a vehicle without a license plate and possession of marijuana. And Joseph Maurice Hamilton Jr., 40, of Pooler, was charged with possession of marijuana.
A captain participating in the operation of more than 75 officers first noticed the blue 1994 Oldsmobile 88 driven by Sheppard at a convenience store near LaRoche and Delesseps avenues when one man walked to the front of the store and another walked to the back.
Officers followed the car to another area where similar activities were observed and then to the third store where they surrounded the car. Morgan ran across the intersection to a church parking lot where a pursuing officer heard him drop and item later identified as a stolen handgun and secured him after he fell.
About 2:10 a.m., officers noticed Kareem Byrd enter a convenience store near Waters and Derenne avenues smelling of marijuana. When they questioned him, they found marijuana, drug-related objects and a stolen pistol in his vehicle. He was charged with traffic offenses, possession of marijuana, theft by receiving stolen property and possession of drug-related objects.
