Fatal Crash Follows High-Speed Pursuit on I-75 in Catoosa County

On Monday, November 25, 2024, a high-speed pursuit on I-75 Northbound ended in a fatal crash in Catoosa County. At 8:12 p.m., a Georgia State Trooper clocked a black 2015 Infiniti Q50 speeding at 114 miles per hour. The Trooper attempted to initiate a stop, but the driver, later identified as 22-year-old Hugo Urbano Chavez of Dalton, GA, failed to comply, triggering a pursuit.

Chavez continued driving at excessive speeds, passing vehicles on the shoulder of the road. As he neared exit 348, he lost control of the vehicle while attempting to pass on the left shoulder, causing the Infiniti to cross all northbound lanes and exit the interstate. The vehicle then overturned, coming to a stop between the northbound lanes and the exit ramp.

The Trooper’s vehicle struck the guardrail in the median before exiting the interstate, but there was no direct contact between the patrol car and the Infiniti. Chavez was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, 30-year-old Angel Aleman, also of Dalton, GA, was transported to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, TN, in serious condition.