Athens man damaged 30 vehicles during wild ride through Gwinnett neighborhood

By Joe Johnson

An Athens man was arrested Monday after police said he drove an SUV through several yards in a Gwinnett County neighborhood, damaging 30 parked vehicles

One of the 30 vehicles damaged by Humes (Photo courtesy of Gwinnett County Police Department)

Patrick Humes, 37, who drove a Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV over front lawns, intentionally crashed into cars parked in driveways and did donuts in the Berkley Hills Estates neighborhood, had possibly been in a mental health crisis, Gwinnett County Police Department spokesman Cpl. Ryan Winderweedle said.

The SUV Humes drove wildly through the neighborhood (Photo courtesy of the Gwinnett County Police Department)

According to GCPD, officers responded to Berkeley Hills Estates shortly after 2:45 p.m. to investigate a report that August 21, officers someone was driving through peoples’ yards and doing donuts.  Several residents reportedly starting sharing videos online of a Mercedes G-500 smashing into cars in driveways. Some people reported hearing gunshots. 

The suspect fled from the neighborhood before officers arrived, police said, and officers took reports from 28 victims who had a total of 30 vehicles and other property damaged by the SUV.

About two hours later, officers located the SUV where it had been abandoned at a tire repair shop four miles away from Berkeley Hills Estates, according to police, and Humes was subsequently found and arrested in a McDonald’s next to the tire shop,

"Humes may have been suffering a mental health crisis at the time, though the exact motive for damaging so many vehicles is not known." Winderweedle said,

The officer said no evidence that Humes fired a gun during the incident was found and no guns were located.