A Martinez man hopped in a cement truck Monday morning and drove away when the driver left his keys in the vehicle at a gas station, sparking a wild chase on Interstate 20 that ended in gunfire, authorities said.
Erik Adam Bodie, 41, swerved the truck toward Taliaferro County deputies as they tried to disable the truck with stop sticks. Ultimately, troopers with the Georgia State Patrol fired rounds into the vehicle’s radiator and hydraulic tanks near mile marker 146, bringing the concrete truck to a halt.
During the chase, the truck poured concrete along over I-20 between Appling and Thomson, authorities said. It also forced the closure of all westbound lanes for much of the day between Appling and Thomson.
Bodie is facing a long list of charges, including motor vehicle theft, fleeing police and reckless driving. He is formally from North Augusta, where he was arrested in 2021 for unlawful carrying of a pistol. That charge remains pending without resolution. Bodie also has a DUI from 2013.
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The incident started around 9 a.m. Monday when the driver of the cement truck left it running while he went inside the Gas Pro at 4800 Columbia Road, near Grovetown, authorities said. Columbia County deputies pursued Bodie and turned the chase over to troopers as it left their jurisdiction.
“Two troopers attempted to use stop sticks to disable the concrete truck and bring the pursuit to an end, but they were unsuccessful,” a GSP spokesperson said. “The concrete truck exited Interstate 20 at GA 22 in Taliaferro County, and continued north, before entering Interstate 20 West. Deputies with the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office attempted stop sticks on Interstate 20 West at mile marker 148, but the driver of the concrete truck swerved toward these deputies, driving around the stop sticks.
“A trooper riding in a passenger seat of another trooper’s patrol car was able to safely fire rounds into the radiator and hydraulic tanks near mile marker 146, which ultimately disabled the concrete truck. The driver was taken into custody without further incident.”
Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com
