A teenager who apparently swiped a tip jar from a Gwinnett County restaurant was killed when his vehicle flipped over into a retention pond.
Gwinnett County Police Department (GCPD) detectives said Jaylen Purge, 18, of Duluth fled from the parking lot of Italian Pie restaurant at 745 Beaver Ruin Road in Lilburn around 6 p.m. Sunday.
A press statement said a GCPD officer saw Purge's vehicle speed out of the parking lot with several people chasing it on foot. The officer gave chase and alerted other officers to the situation. When officers attempted a traffic stop, Purge's vehicle left the roadway, crashed into the wood line and disappeared from view near Steve Reynolds Blvd. and Pavilion Place in Norcross.
Officers found the vehicle upside down in a retention pond almost fully submerged, according to press information. The Gwinnett County Fire Department arrived at the scene and pulled Purge from the vehicle and took him to the hospital. Purge was pronounced dead at the hospital, although his specific cause of death has not been released.
Atlanta TV media talked with restaurant employees who said Purge stole the tip jar from the counter and fled the scene.
