DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta family is heartbroken after their loved one was the innocent bystander killed during a Georgia State Patrol chase.

The suspect is in custody and now charged with killing that innocent bystander at North Hairston and Memorial Drive.

“He hits the car right on her driver’s side he had to be doing at least 80 mph just smacks her,” recalled witness Derrick Muhammed after the crash Saturday afternoon in Stone Mountain.

The unsuspecting driver of a Honda Civic likely never saw it coming.

The driver had the green light, going through the intersection, when she was caught in a Georgia State Patrol pursuit.

“He was going fast because he hit her so hard that it hit her into me,” said one witness.

The pursuit started when GSP troopers attempted to pull over an Infiniti because the driver was speeding and didn’t have a tag. GSP reported that when the driver didn’t stop, they pursued him.

It’s estimated 355 people die in pursuits each year, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It’s not just the people involved in the chase that are killed. It’s predicted more than 40% of those killed are innocent bystanders, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The deaths are one reason, a recent Police Executive Research Forum report recommended law enforcement agencies have “restrictive vehicle pursuit philosophies…. adopting a standard that permits pursuits only for violent crimes and where failure to immediately apprehend the suspect presents an imminent threat to the public.”

In this case, the suspect had warrants out of two Georgia counties, for failure to appear, fleeing police and giving a false name.

Witnesses wish this deadly scene could’ve been avoided.

“On a high-speed chase at some point you have to let the guy go, if he’s getting away you’re putting too many people at risk and that’s what happened,” said Muhammed.

Georgia State Patrol still has not released the suspect’s name. But he is now facing several charges after Saturday’s pursuit including homicide by vehicle.

The victim’s family is raising funds for legal fees and funeral expenses. CLICK HERE to donate.