According to a public information release from Officer Aaron Wilson of the Cobb County Police Department, one person was killed, one seriously injured, and the driver of a pickup truck was arrested in an incident involving a collision between a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Ford F-100 pickup truck.

The incident took place on Veterans Memorial Highway at Cooper Lake Road, and the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Unit is investigating (see a description of the STEP Unit at the bottom of this article).

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

Investigators state that a Harley Davidson Motorcycle, operated by Stacey Miles Davis, 24, Lawrenceville with Mya Smith, 23, Powder Springs as his passenger, was traveling west on Veterans Memorial Highway.

At the same time, a 2020 Ford F-150 driven by a 42-year-old Mableton man was traveling eastbound on Veterans Memorial Highway, attempting to make a left turn onto Cooper Lake Road.

Investigators believe that the driver of the truck made his turn when it was not safe to do so, and the vehicles collided.

Both vehicles caught fire and the flames had to be extinguished by Cobb County Fire Department.  

Personnel with the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced Davis dead on the scene.

Smith was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck was determined to be impaired and was placed under arrest. 

The STEP Unit

The STEP Unit, which investigates serious or fatal traffic crashes, is one of the Cobb County Police Department’s Special Operations units, and is described on the web page of the Cobb County Police Department as follows:

“The Selective Traffic Enforcement Unit is responsible for investigating all fatal traffic crashes, enforcement of traffic laws in those areas which analysis indicates an elevated amount of crashes. They are also responsible for the administration and execution of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. They also take part in special security details, and investigate crashes involving Department vehicles when requested.”