Student leads cops on 100 mph chase through heart of Athens — and Snapchats it, police say

A University of Georgia student was arrested after leading police on a chase through downtown Athens at over 100 miles per hour.

Athens-Clarke County police say the driver, Hunter Ty Wilkerson, was Snapchatting during the chase that ended with him crashing in a parking lot, crushing a few cars in the process.

Wilkerson, 19, faces over 25 charges related to the incident, including three counts of possession of fake ID, DUI, reckless driving and interfering with traffic control signs. He additionally faces two felony charges of fleeing and attempting to elude police, according to 11 Alive. His bond was set at $31,000.

Wilkerson fled from police after reportedly stealing five traffic signs from UGA’s campus, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

Police first saw Wilkerson driving a Ford F-150 just before 3 a.m. Nov. 16. Officers said he had multiple traffic control signs in his truck bed, 11 Alive reported.

He made an illegal left-hand turn onto East Campus Road behind Sanford Stadium, but was too far ahead for police to follow safely so an officer put out a BOLO on the truck.

Wilkerson was next spotted near the intersection of College Station Road and East Campus Road. The traffic control signs were on the ground with the F-150 parked nearby and officers said it appeared the driver was taking a photo of the scene.

He fled the scene and spotted minutes later driving between 85 and 90 miles down South Milledge Ave., a 35-mph street and well-traveled downtown thoroughfare.

"At that point in itself he's reckless,” Athens-Clarke County police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez told the AJC. “He's putting lives in danger, to include his own and anyone else who's on the roadway."

He continued on West Broad Street into downtown, running three red lights without slowing down before turning onto Oconee Street. As he rounded the corner, coincidentally near the UGA police station, Wilkerson lost control and went airborne after hitting a curb.

He landed on several cars and rolled to a stop in a parking lot. As police were arresting him, Wilkerson is heard on the officer’s body cam repeatedly asking if he can see the damage.

Police said Wilkerson’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and his speech was slurred.

An officer is seen in the video looking in the truck and picks up what appears to be a cell phone. The officer says Wilkerson Snapchatted he was “running from a cop.”

“Oh my god you guys, he was Snapchatting it. It’s still on here [the cell phone],” the officer is heard saying. “He’s got the whole damn thing on here.” The other officers laugh and ask if someone “got that on video.”

“Yeah, get a picture of that,” another officer says jokingly.

Police said in the video that one of the Snapchats showed Wilkerson “zooming in” on his speedometer hitting 110 mph and bragging about being in a police chase.

This story was originally published November 21, 2017 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Student leads cops on 100 mph chase through heart of Athens — and Snapchats it, police say."