An arrest warrant has been issued for University of Georgia football star Jalen Carter, who was involved in a January car crash that killed UGA player Devin Willock and a UGA staffer.
Police say Carter, 21, was driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk, alongside a car driven by recruiting coordinator Chandler LeCroy.
Surveillance video shows Carter, LeCroy, Willock and other teammates leave an Athens nightclub after attending the national championship parade earlier that day.
On the way from the club to a Waffle House, “both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other,” police said Wednesday.
LeCroy, who was legally drunk, and Carter were racing each other when she lost control of the vehicle at 104 miles per hour.
Police say her 2021 Ford Expedition struck a curb and went airborne before clipping 2 power poles and slamming into a townhouse. LeCroy and Willock were killed in the car crash. Two passengers were injured.
Carter left the scene of the accident, but returned 90 minutes later to speak with officers. He did not mention he was racing the vehicle that crashed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Carter, a star defensive lineman for the Georgia Bulldogs, helped lead the team to national titles in 2021 and 2022.
Before the news broke on Wednesday, Carter was considered a possible No. 1 NFL draft pick.
Carter is charged with reckless driving and racing, both misdemeanors, according to the AJC.
He issued a statement on his Twitter page on Wednesday. In the statement, Carter claimed news outlets reported “inaccurate information concerning the tragic events of January 15, 2023.”
He continued: “I intend to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented. There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”
