Sandy Springs police arrested Peter Wetche after officers stopped his car with a PIT maneuver on Aug. 22, following a flight from a traffic stop. He faces charges of fleeing or attempting to elude and failure to obey a traffic-control device; no injuries were reported.
Police said the stop began with a traffic violation; Wetche briefly stopped, then drove off. Officers followed until reaching a stretch they considered safe before using the PIT on Roswell Road near Sandy Springs Circle. A PIT is meant to turn a fleeing car sideways and stop it. The department posted dashcam footage on Facebook on Sept. 19, jokingly calling it the “slowest PIT in Sandy Springs”; police did not disclose the pursuit speed. No court date had been announced when the Sandy Springs Record published its report.
Appen Media counted at least 41 Sandy Springs pursuits in 2024, compared with 10 in Roswell, five in Alpharetta and two in Dunwoody. Appen reported that a 2024 policy change allows Sandy Springs officers to pursue based on reasonable suspicion of a crime under a “totality of circumstances” standard; Roswell, Alpharetta and Dunwoody bar pursuits based solely on traffic violations. Supporters argue drivers are less likely to flee if they expect a chase; critics say each pursuit puts uninvolved people at risk.
