A Christmas Eve call at a Georgia golf course turned into what may be the slowest police pursuit of the year after a wanted suspect attempted to flee law enforcement — not in a car, not on foot, but in a golf cart.
According to Sandy Springs Police Department, officers responded Dec. 24 to a local golf course in Sandy Springs while attempting to locate a suspect wanted in connection with a prior incident. When officers made contact, the suspect made a bold decision: he mashed the accelerator on a golf cart and took off across the fairway.
Bodycam video shows officers pausing for approximately half a second before doing what any adaptable law enforcement professionals would do — hopping into nearby golf carts and giving chase. What followed was a short, scenic pursuit across manicured greens, culminating in officers catching up to the suspect and ordering him to stop.
He complied. No injuries. No dramatic crash. No high-speed turns. Just a peaceful arrest at golf-cart velocity.
“Golf carts: Great for golf. Not for getaways,” the department later wrote on social media. “Reminder: Golf carts are not a getaway vehicle.”
Message received.
While the incident itself wrapped up quickly, the real entertainment came afterward. In the days following the pursuit, Sandy Springs Police Department leaned fully into the moment, unveiling what they dubbed their brand-new “Fairway Unit” — a fully marked police golf cart complete with blue emergency lights.
“You’ve seen the chase … now meet the upgrade,” the department posted. “Monitoring golf courses and beyond, because we like to be prepared. And just a reminder … running is never the right move.”
But they weren’t done yet.
The final announcement raised the stakes — modestly — with the reveal of a newly upgraded Fairway Unit, now equipped with a push bumper.
“Our new pursuit-rated golf cart has officially been upgraded with a push bumper,” police wrote. “This means we are now theoretically, emotionally and spiritually prepared to perform PIT maneuvers … at approximately 12 mph. Crime has been warned.”
No word yet on spike strips for the putting green or K-9 units trained in sand traps, but one thing is clear: in Georgia, even golf courses are no longer safe havens for bad ideas.
And for anyone considering a similar escape plan this holiday season, law enforcement has made it abundantly clear — the fairway is not the freeway.
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- NMD Staff
Staff@NewMediaDetroit.com