Police issue warrant for star athlete’s arrest after deadly crash

Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a rising star footballer after a horrific crash that resulted in multiple deaths.

Chandler LeCroy and Jalen Carter. Photo: Getty and Instagram.

Rising star footballer Jalen Carter was racing and driving recklessly in the crash that killed one of his teammates and a team staffer, police allege.

Police issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for the top 2023 NFL Draft prospect, who is currently at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, in connection with the January 15 crash.

Carter, a Georgia University defensive lineman, was driving a 2021 Jeep Trackhawk “in a manner consistent with racing” the morning that Georgia player Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy died, according to an investigation by Athens-Clarke County Police.

“The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the centre turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other,” the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said in a release Wednesday morning, The New York Post reports.

Chandler LeCroy was a recruiting analyst for the Georgia football team.

Jalen Carter of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Photo by Kevin C. COX / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP.

“Evidence indicated that shortly before the crash the Expedition was travelling at about 104 miles per hour.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution report on Wednesday said Carter, 21, told police he was about a mile away from the crash, and then later said he was following the car that had crashed.

Carter then told police, per the report, that he was alongside the other car. The report said Carter left the crash scene and returned 90 minutes later.

Carter was scheduled to speak to reporters in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, though that was cancelled once news of the arrest warrants broke.

He issued a statement on Twitter Wednesday afternoon.

“It is my intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanour charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented,” Carter wrote.

Jalen Carter celebrates with a newspaper reading "Perfect!" after a victory. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

“There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.”

Carter’s reps told Athens-Clarke police they were “making arrangements for [Carter] to turn himself in,” department spokesperson Shaun Barnett told ABC News.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement the charges were “deeply concerning, especially as we are still struggling to cope with the devastating loss of two beloved members of our community.

“We will continue to co-operate fully with the authorities while supporting these families and assessing what we can learn from this horrible tragedy,” Smart added.

— This story originally appeared on nypost.com and has been republished with permission