Ga. Police Officer Killed when Car Rear-Ends Cruiser During Stop

A Hahira police officer was sitting in his cruiser during an interstate traffic stop when a Chevrolet Camaro struck his patrol unit from behind, sending it and the vehicle originally pulled over off the roadway.
Source Officer.com News
Feb. 19, 2026

What to know

  • A Hahira Police Department officer was killed early Thursday when his cruiser was rear-ended during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 in Lowndes County.

  • Authorities said a Chevrolet Camaro struck the cruiser, which had emergency lights activated, pushing it into the stopped vehicle and forcing all three vehicles off the roadway.

  • The officer was pronounced dead at the scene, and his identity has not been released, although his family had been notified.

Hahira, GA, Police Department
Rear-end crash kills Hahira, GA, police officer.

A Hahira, GA, police officer was killed early Thursday when his cruiser was rear-ended during an interstate traffic stop.

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A Georgia police officer was killed early Thursday when his cruiser was struck during an interstate traffic stop.

The fatal incident involving a Hahira police officer happened just around midnight after the officer had pulled over a vehicle along Interstate 75 in Lowndes County, WALB-TV reports. The officer was sitting in his cruiser, which had its emergency lights activated, when a Chevrolet Camaro rear-ended the patrol unit.

The officer's cruiser was pushed into the vehicle that had originally been stopped. All three vehicles were knocked off the roadway from the impact of the crash.

The officer was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Camaro's driver died at the hospital. The identity of the officer has not been released, although his family has been notified.

"Please join us in praying for the Hahira Police Department and especially the family of this officer during this difficult time," Gov. Brian Kemp wrote in a social media post. "As we remain mindful of the dangers facing all our law enforcement families, Marty, the girls, and I ask all Georgians to keep the safety of every first responder in your prayers."

The crash is under investigation.

About the Author

Joe Vince
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Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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