A Cartersville man is in jail after a carjacking in Rome and a police chase that ended in Gordon County.
According to the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office, at about 6:30 a.m. Friday in the pre-dawn darkness, Gordon County sheriff’s deputies received a lookout alert for an armed carjacking suspect who had hijacked and stolen two automobiles in succession near Rome, evaded authorities there, and was believed to be heading toward Gordon County.
Deputies were deployed to the Highway 53 area in response, where a deputy saw the stolen car driven by the suspected hijacker traveling eastward toward Calhoun. The deputy tried to stop the car and the suspect vehicle fled away at a high rate of speed on State Route 53 Spur.
The deputy pursued the car to the area of Court Street and River Street where the suspect, after striking a civilian vehicle, lost control and crashed near the Calhoun Post Office.
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“This offender exhibited absolutely no regard for the welfare of others while fleeing into town at such an hour and in such conditions. The deputy, who was quickly joined by Calhoun Police, arrested the offender without resistance,” said Gordon County Sheriff Mitch Ralston.
Deputies recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the armed carjacking. There were no injuries involved to officers, innocent bystanders, or anyone else during the pursuit and arrest. The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Alex Bernard Joyner, of Cartersville.
Records from Bartow County indicate that Joyner pled guilty to charges of Aggravated Assault, a Firearms Violation, and Theft in Bartow County in 2009 and received a 15 year sentence. He served time in prison and was paroled. He is still on probation for those charges.
Joyner is currently lodged in the Gordon County Jail where he faces new charges here of Felony Fleeing and Attempting to Elude Law Enforcement Officers, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, and a number of other traffic-related charges. He will face additional charges in Floyd County.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
