Byron chase leads to arrest of HoCo woman

BYRON, Ga. — Around 6 p.m. on Friday, a chase ensued in Peach County where a suspect struck three police vehicles, an officer and two witnesses.

According to the Byron Police Department, ­they received a look out on July 15 in reference to a SUV driving recklessly on Georgia Highway 42.

They were advised that the driver was driving in the other lane and nearly hit oncoming traffic. A two-year-old child was also in the vehicle at the time.

The incident began at the intersection of Highway 42 and Highway 49, where witnesses attempted to block the vehicle. Police officers came to the scene and attempted to speak with the driver; however, she was uncooperative and refused to speak with officers. In response, the police department placed Stop Sticks under her vehicle if she attempted to flee.

The driver has been identified as Sierra Hibbert of Warner Robins. Two videos: a dashcam video and bodycam footage were released on social media by the Byron Police Department and showed the events of the chase.

The chase began when Hibbert backed into a vehicle behind her. She then drove forward, striking an officer and a police car, then drove forward, hitting two witnesses and a second police vehicle. She continued northbound on Highway 49 with a flat tire from the Stop Sticks.

After another attempt to block the car from officers, Hibbert backed into another police car, then struck the second police vehicle again, causing serious damage. Police vehicles ultimately blocked her in. After the blockade, Hibbert was taken into custody.

A two-year-old child was also in the vehicle at the time of the chase. The child, officers and citizens involved were not seriously injured.

The Peach County Sheriff’s Office also assisted during the case and at time of publication is investigating the incident and handling the criminal charges against Hibbert.

According to Sheriff Terry Deese, Hibbert has been charged with six counts of Aggravated Assault. She may also face one count of Child Endangerment, and charges may be upgraded based on the investigation.

Deese said that both the Byron Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office banded together to apprehend the suspect, and he appreciated the level of professionalism from the police department.

“I don’t think they could have done anything differently,” Deese said. “[Byron P.D.] was very calm, very restrained. A lot of times we see these videos across the nation where incidents like this escalate, and that one could have escalated very quickly, but the officers handled it very professionally.”

The Byron Police Department expressed their gratitude towards the witnesses who assisted to stop the chase, something the sheriff’s office echoed.

“The citizens actually called it in that she was driving erratically, and they actually had her boxed in when the police department arrived on scene,” Deese said. “So they were trying to prevent [her from driving] because it was obvious that somebody would have been hurt had she not stopped. Their actions in this matter could have saved somebody’s life.”

Brent Cox was one of those citizens. He and his wife, Priscilla, were on their way home when they noticed Hibbert driving erratically. He told The Journal that Hibbert attempted to hit his car as well.

“I told my wife, ‘we have to stop this lady. If she gets on [Highway 49] she’s going to kill someone,’” Brent said.

After the chase, you can see Priscilla opening one of the doors, and Brent can be seen grabbing the child out of the car in an effort to keep her safe.

“My wife and one other gentleman started trying to get through the back passenger door, in case they had to shoot this lady or something,” Brent said. “We wanted the little girl out of the car.”

He also praised the Byron Police Department, specifically Lt. Bryan Hunter. According to Brent, Hunter was the officer whose dashcam filmed one of the videos.

“The Byron Police Department did the very best job they could,” he said. “[Lieutenant] Hunter was a brave man who was willing to get ran over to [keep] things from going any worse, and a lot of good folks from Byron pitched in the best they could.”

To watch the videos for yourself, head to the Byron Police Department Facebook page: “Byron Georgia Police Department.”

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