In happened early on Monday morning when police were chasing three burglary suspects in Fayetteville. The Fayette County Sheriff’s office received a call shortly before 4:30 a.m. about a burglary at the Sprint PCS store in the town. The caller had seen four young men in a gray Chrysler leaving the scene.

Deputies respond to a 911 call and witness the crash

As a deputy was responding to the call shortly after the burglary took place, he spotted the Chrysler in the northbound lane on Highway 85. Shortly afterward the vehicle turned into Flint River Road.

The Chrysler then struck another vehicle on Taylor Road. However, as it was dark at the time, officers didn’t see what happened next. While officers were helping the driver of the car that was hit in the collision, the getaway car had reportedly gone airborne and had crashed into a pond. By the time investigators found it, the car, with the burglars inside, had been submerged for almost 15 minutes.

Officers try to help the occupants of the vehicle in the pond

Clayton County Police Chief Joseph Woodall said in a statement that his officers then immediately accessed the car in the pond and tried to render help to the passengers inside, but were unsuccessful.

Woodall said three of the young men were dead at the scene. However, one burglary suspect did somehow manage to escape from the vehicle.

According to a report by the New York Post, officials say they have identified the fourth burglary suspect and are currently searching for him.

Woodall added that it was “sheer luck” for the young man that he survived the accident. Reportedly the driver of the other car involved in the collision was taken to the hospital, but his injuries were non-life threatening.

Officials name the deceased burglary suspects

Clayton County police identified the three dead burglary suspects as Mark Anthony Mathis, 19, Eddie Alford, 21 and Devongelo Hunter, 19.

They did not give out the name of the fourth, escaped suspect. Investigators say that all four of the burglary suspects have criminal records in Clayton County.

Fox News quotes Tomeka Thornton, Mathis’ cousin, as saying she hates that this happened just after Mother’s Day. Thornton said it shouldn’t have ended like this. She says she is heartbroken, but added that hopes other young men will learn a lesson from the bad decisions made by her cousin and his friends during the burglary that night. During an interview with Portia Bruner of Fox 5, Thornton said young men should go out and get a job, telling them not to rob, steal or hurt other people just to get what they want. She added that from the current story, they can see it’s just not worth it.
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