Man flees police on foot, gets arrested for DUI

A Barrow County Sheriff’s Officer reported that on Wednesday, May 17, at around 4 p.m., he was dispatched to the County Line Mobile Home Park on Hwy. 211 after a resident complained that another resident was driving intoxicated through peoples’ yards trying to chase down his pit bull that was running loose.

When the officer saw the pit bull approach his car, then run away, the complaining resident told the him that the pit bull tried to bite her several days ago. The officer then reported seeing a white male driving a 1985 tan GMC Jimmy toward him at a high rate of speed.

The officer reported that he got in his car to follow the man on Hwy. 211 NW with his light on, and a pursuit ensued with the man swerving into oncoming traffic.

At one point, the man’s vehicle nearly struck the guardrail at Barrow Park Drive, the officer reported. As the chase entered downtown Winder, the man was reportedly “driving erratically and passing other motorists, forcing them off the roadway.”

As he approached the entrance of the El Centinela Mexican Restaurant on Athens Street in Winder, the man reportedly spiked his brakes and struck the back of a black Ford Mustang in front of him.

Winder Police reportedly attempted to set up deploy spike strips but were unable to due to another motorist.

The BCSO reported following Bray onto Athens Street and turning left onto North Broad Street in downtown Winder. Bray was driving in the center of the turn lane to avoid striking other motorists and eventually drove through a red light intersection.

Bray drove his vehicle onto Gainesville Highway, slowed down near a residence and began running toward it. Two officers chased him on foot, wrestled him to the ground and Tased him so they could secure his handcuffs.

Asked why he was running, the man said he did not know. Then, he told police, “I was running, because I am a fool.” Asked how much he had to drink, the man said “a lot.” When the man was told he was under arrest, the officer reported that he could maintain his balance or walk straight, and he had to lean on the officer several times to prevent himself from falling.

While the officer was reading his rights to him, the man reportedly said, “blah, blah, blah, I’m not listening to you.” A field sobriety test was not completed.

The officer further reported that while he was transporting the man to the Barrow County Detention Center, he told the man that he was just released from the detention center, was on felony probation and had a drinking problem.

Timothy Shane Bray, 29, has been charged with duty to stop at the scene of an accident, failure to maintain lane, fleeing/attempting to elude officer, speeding, DUI-Alcohol, obstruction of officers, passing in a no passing zone, failure to obey a traffic control device and reckless driving. According to the Georgia State Patrol, Bray was issued a citation for following too closely and passing in a no passing zone. The pit bull was turned over to Barrow County Animal Control.