A 53-year-old Augusta man died Tuesday after the moped he was driving crashed into a vacant building on Gordon Highway while being pursued by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Coroner’s Office.
Coroner Mark Bowen said deputies were pursuing the moped when it crashed at approximately 12:16 a.m. Tuesday. The driver, identified as Johnny Jerome Brown, and a passenger on the moped were transported by emergency medical services to Wellstar MCG Health.
Brown was pronounced dead at the hospital at 4:28 p.m. Tuesday, Bowen said. An autopsy will be scheduled to determine the cause of death.
The condition of the passenger has not been released.
According to court records, Brown had a history of arrests in Richmond and Columbia counties, including charges for felony and misdemeanor shoplifting, DUI, giving false information to police, obstruction, failure to appear, and probation violations. Records indicate he was on probation at the time of his most recent arrest in 2023.
The incident remains under investigation.
