Body rolls out of stolen mortuary van as suspect flees crematory, Georgia police say
A body rolled out of a mortuary van as a suspect stole it from a cremation site in Georgia, officials said.
The van driver is also accused of hitting several cars as he led police on a chase down Interstate 20 on Wednesday afternoon, according to an Atlanta-area police department.
Now, officers say the man — identified as 23-year-old Kijon Griffin — is facing multiple charges. The Conyers Police Department in a news release didn’t list an attorney for Griffin.
Crematory workers were taking the body out of the van on Wednesday when police spotted Griffin, who had been wanted in car break-in cases, WXIA and WAGA reported. That’s when he got into the vehicle and drove off, Capt. Kim Lucas told the TV stations.
As Griffin was fleeing in the stolen mortuary van, a gurney with the body on it slid “out of the open back hatch and into the parking lot where it came to rest,” Conyers police wrote in a Facebook post. “Personnel on site were able to secure the body.”
Officers then chased Griffin into DeKalb County, the post said. He is accused of running into multiple cars on I-20 west before one of the van’s tires blew out near Wesley Chapel Road.
Griffin left the van and ran into the woods, where police weren’t able to catch him, officials said. He later turned himself in and faced several charges, including “entering auto, motor vehicle theft, fleeing and attempting to elude,” according to police.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 7:03 AM with the headline "Body rolls out of stolen mortuary van as suspect flees crematory, Georgia police say."
