Georgia

‘Panicked’ driver flees after street race ends in deadly crash, Georgia police said

A driver was killed and another was injured when they crashed while speed racing in Albany, Georgia, on Dec. 21, police said.
A driver was killed and another was injured when they crashed while speed racing in Albany, Georgia, on Dec. 21, police said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A driver was shaken up after a street race ended in a deadly crash — so he ran, authorities in Georgia say.

The wreck was reported around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, on West Oglethorpe Boulevard in Albany, according to the city’s police department.

Lee Walters, 31, was racing his 2007 Chevy Corvette against Jamil Wright’s, 31, Dodge Challenger when they crashed into each other, police said. Walters left the crash site and went to a hospital to be treated for his injuries.

Officers responded to the scene and found Wright, who was pronounced dead. Walters acknowledged he was racing and told police he had “panicked” after the crash, authorities said.

After leaving the hospital, Walters was booked into jail and charged with racing, leaving the scene of an accident and first-degree vehicular homicide, police said.

Albany is about 180 miles south of Atlanta.

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This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 3:39 PM.

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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