Authorities say an 18-year-old driving a stolen vehicle lost control near Miller Grove Middle School, killing 56-year-old Antoinette Catchings and badly hurting her 14-year-old grandson.
DEKALB COUNTY, GA — A grandmother was killed and her 14-year-old grandson was badly hurt after police said suspects in a stolen vehicle fled a traffic stop Thursday afternoon and crashed into the pair as they walked along Covington Highway near Miller Road.
The crash quickly became one of the most serious public cases tied to DeKalb County’s pursuit policy this year. Police say the chase began when officers tried to stop a stolen vehicle and ended minutes later when the driver lost control near Miller Grove Middle School. Antoinette Catchings, 56, died at the scene, and her grandson, a student at the school, was taken to a hospital. An 18-year-old driver and a juvenile passenger now face criminal charges as the department also conducts its standard review of the pursuit.
Authorities said officers spotted the stolen vehicle shortly after 3:30 p.m. near Covington Highway and Panola Road in unincorporated DeKalb County. Police tried to pull the car over, but investigators say the driver sped away instead. As the vehicle traveled west on Covington Highway, it crossed into oncoming lanes, left the roadway and slammed into two pedestrians near Miller Road. Catchings was pronounced dead at the scene. Her grandson was rushed to a local hospital with serious injuries. DeKalb County police later identified the driver as Joseph Odeh, 18. Chief Gregory Padrick said in a statement that the crash was “a tragic loss of life” but said the pursuit began only after officers moved to stop what they believed was a stolen vehicle.
Police and local news outlets pieced together more of the aftermath on Friday. Investigators said Odeh and a juvenile passenger tried to run after the wreck but were taken into custody. Odeh was also taken to a hospital with injuries that police described as non-life-threatening, while the juvenile passenger suffered minor injuries. The DeKalb County School District said the injured boy attends nearby Miller Grove Middle School and that the woman who died was his grandmother. That detail turned a police case into a school community tragedy, with the crash happening in an area students and families know well. Authorities have not released the boy’s name because he is a minor, and police have not publicly said where the vehicle was stolen or how long officers were behind it before the collision. Those unanswered questions are likely to shape the review that follows.
The location added to the shock. The wreck happened near Miller Grove Middle School, along a busy stretch of Covington Highway where traffic, sidewalks and school movement often meet. Video and images from local television crews showed a crushed vehicle off the roadway, scattered debris and a large police presence that closed part of the intersection for hours. By Friday, the victim had been publicly identified as Catchings, and neighbors were again debating the risks tied to police pursuits over property crimes. That debate is not new in DeKalb County. Local reporting noted that in February, another pedestrian was killed in a separate pursuit-related crash involving DeKalb police. FOX 5 also reported that the county broadened its chase policy last spring, allowing officers to begin pursuits when they have probable cause for crimes ranging from felonies to misdemeanors and some traffic offenses. Supporters say the policy responds to community demands for stronger action on crime. Critics say pursuits can shift danger onto people who have nothing to do with the original offense.
For now, the criminal case is moving ahead on two tracks. Police said Odeh faces charges that include first-degree homicide by vehicle, serious injury by motor vehicle, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, theft by receiving stolen property, reckless driving, driving without a license and failure to maintain lane. The juvenile passenger also faces charges, including second-degree homicide by vehicle, serious injury by motor vehicle and theft by receiving stolen property. It was not immediately clear Friday when either suspect would make a first court appearance or whether defense lawyers had been appointed. Police also said the pursuit itself will undergo a supervisory review to determine whether officers acted within Georgia law and department policy. That review is standard, but its findings may draw closer public attention because an uninvolved woman was killed and a child was seriously hurt. Investigators have not announced any outside agency review, and no civil claims had been publicly filed as of Friday.
The human toll was visible in the details that emerged after the crash. Catchings was not part of the chase. Her grandson was not either. They were walking near a middle school in midafternoon when the fleeing vehicle came off the highway. WSB-TV reported that one of its reporters later found a gun at the crash site and called police back to collect it, adding another detail investigators may examine as they reconstruct what happened inside the stolen car and in the moments after impact. Neighbors quoted by FOX 5 said they were struggling with the same hard question that often follows these crashes: how to balance the need to stop crime with the risk to people nearby. Some said no stolen car is worth a life. Padrick, defending the officers’ decision, said the deadly result came from “a deliberate decision to flee from law enforcement.” The investigation now carries both those realities at once: a police pursuit started over an alleged crime, and a grandmother and grandson paid the price.
As of Friday evening, Catchings had been identified, her grandson remained hospitalized, and warrants had been announced against Odeh and the juvenile passenger. The next major steps are the suspects’ court processing, updates on the boy’s condition and the department’s review of how the pursuit unfolded.
Author note: Last updated April 19, 2026.