Elijah Parker, 19, admitted to police that he tried to kill his mother and led officers on a near-100-mph chase through northwest Georgia, according to authorities.
The teenager allegedly attacked Laura Ann Moore, his mother, on Oct. 22 inside her 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe while the pair sat in a Publix parking lot in Cartersville, Ga. Parker placed a plastic bag over her head and began to strangle her, police said.
“Out of the blue, he just started choking her. She felt she was going to lose consciousness,” Cartersville Police Capt. Greg Sparacio told FOX5 Atlanta.
Moore fought back and broke free, then ran to a nearby Five Guys restaurant for safety. She later told investigators she believed her son would have killed her if she had not escaped. She also claimed Parker warned her he was not going back to prison and would shoot it out with police if they intervened.
Parker, who does not have a driver’s license, allegedly stole the SUV and drove off. He remained at large for roughly two hours before Adairsville police spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.
He fled instead, pushing the Tahoe to speeds nearing 100 mph as the pursuit crossed into Gordon County. Parker attempted a turn, lost control, and slammed into a Kia Optima stopped at a stop sign, authorities said.
The Kia driver told officers her airbags deployed and she suffered leg pain. Emergency crews responded to the crash scene, and officers pulled Parker from the wreckage and arrested him.
Parker now faces 12 charges including aggravated assault-strangulation, theft by taking, false imprisonment, fleeing a police officer, and reckless driving. He remains in custody.
The case carries an additional layer of concern given Parker’s recent history. He had been arrested weeks earlier on Sept. 14 on a misdemeanor charge of making terroristic threats, according to the Bartow County Inmate Inquiry. He was released a few days later on his own recognizance.
“During this month, domestic violence awareness month, it goes to highlight the dangers of domestic violence, and no community is immune to it,” Sparacio said.