In a chaotic and tragic series of events on January 25, 2026, a 22-year-old man named Chaterez Phillips died in East Point, a city in the Atlanta metropolitan area. His death was the culmination of a police pursuit that began when officers identified him as a fugitive wanted on charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault. The incident unfolded in the parking lot of a food mart located in Bayard Plaza, where officers had been observing Phillips.
When law enforcement attempted to
apprehend him as he exited the store, Phillips fled. In a desperate attempt to escape, he carjacked a vehicle, forcing two people out of it in the process. His flight was short-lived, however, as he lost control of the stolen car and crashed into a power pole near the intersection of Gus Thornhill Jr. Drive and Harris Street. Following the crash, Phillips exited the vehicle and continued to flee on foot with police in pursuit. The chase ended behind a building on Lyle Avenue where Phillips produced a handgun and sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Responding officers immediately began performing CPR until medics arrived at the scene. Phillips was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered the handgun at the location of the shooting. The two individuals who were forced from the carjacked vehicle were not reported to have sustained any serious injuries. As the death resulted from a self-inflicted wound, there were no arrests of any other suspects in connection with this specific incident. The East Point Police Department handled the investigation into the events that led to Phillips's death.
