A traffic stop turned into a two-county, 45 mph chase down Interstate 20 when suspects fled, throwing weapons and drugs out the window before they were stopped by the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office and the suspects arrested.

Around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, a RCSO deputy attempted to stop a blue Chevrolet pickup truck for failure to maintain lanes on I-20 eastbound near the Newton County Line. The vehicle initially slowed down to about 20 mph and pulled over to the emergency lane as if it was going to stop. But it then sped up again to 45 mph and refused to stop.

During the chase, the deputy observed the passenger of the pickup truck throw three weapons and a bag of narcotics out of the window while going down I-20.

As the pickup truck was approaching exit 90 in Newton County, the deputy performed a P.I.T. (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver, which bumps a corner of the fleeing vehicle so it goes out of control, and was able to stop the vehicle.

The deputy, along with two Georgia State Patrol Troopers who had joined the pursuit, blocked in the suspects and were able to take them into custody without further incident.

Several deputies with the RCSO and K9 units were used to search for the three weapons and bag of narcotics. One handgun and approximately 3 ounces of marijuana were located. The RCSO are continuing to search for the remaining two weapons.

Maj. Harry McCann and the recruits that are currently attending the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Basic Law Enforcement Academy are currently assisting the RCSO in searching the side of I-20 assisting in locating the remaining two weapons. Newton County Sheriff's Office deputies also assisted with the search.

Marquis McGahee, 24, of Thomson, Ga. was charged with failure to maintain lane, fleeing/attempting to elude, driving while license suspended, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The passenger, Darius Whimper, 22, of Covington was charged with tampering with evidence, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Whimper had an injury to his leg from a gunshot wound that he received last month at a party and was checked and released by EMS.

"The Criminal Interdiction Unit is a valuable resource for the Sheriff's Office and they continue to get dangerous suspects and narcotics off of the street" said Sheriff Eric J. Levett. "I want to commend all the deputies and the GSP who assisted on this pursuit. The RCSO will continue to fight hard to keep narcotics and illegal weapons off the streets."