A 5-year-old girl is recovering after surviving a crash in Lilburn when her father allegedly drove from police with the child unrestrained in the vehicle.
“I still can’t get over the fact that she could have not been here. But I am thankful,” her mother, Jilliana Burris, said.
The incident began around 2 p.m. last Monday when Lilburn police officers spotted Joseph Harris, who was wanted on felony warrants, driving Burris’s car.
When police tried to stop him, Harris sped away with 5-year-old Jaida inside, police said.
“It was very frightening and scary because I didn’t even know that she was not still in my neighborhood,” Burris told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
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Police say Harris, 39, ran a red light at Lawrenceville Highway and continued speeding down Arcado Road before crashing and rolling the vehicle. Jaida was not secured in a car seat, according to arrest warrants.
Instead of getting medical help for his injured daughter, Harris picked up the child and ran into nearby woods, according to police.
Officers from Lilburn police, Gwinnett County police, and the Sheriff’s Office set up a perimeter before Harris finally emerged with Jaida and surrendered.
The little girl spent two days at a hospital with facial cuts requiring stitches and internal injuries from the crash. Doctors performed extra tests because she also has sickle cell disease.
“I just thank God that that’s the only thing that happened to her because it could have been worse,” Burris said.
Harris faces eleven felony charges, including fleeing police, child cruelty and aggravated assault, according to jail records. He is being held without bond.
The crash totaled Burris’s car, and as medical expenses continue growing. She set up an online fundraiser to help with expenses.
“This is definitely not the way I entered on spending my birthday week, but I’m thankful that my child is still here,” Burris said.
