Cartersville police say a 19-year-old man is behind bars after he allegedly tried to kill his mother in a parking lot, stole her vehicle, and led officers on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash.

Elijah Jase Parker of Gordon County faces charges of aggravated assault by strangulation, false imprisonment, and felony theft by taking from the Cartersville Police Department. Adairsville police also charged him with felony attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, driving without a license, and six other traffic violations.

According to Cartersville police, the incident began the night of October 22nd in the Publix parking lot on Cherokee Place. Parker’s mother, Laura Ann Moore, told officers she had allowed her son to drive her 2004 white Chevrolet Tahoe in the lot even though he does not have a valid driver’s license. After they switched seats so she could drive home, Parker allegedly began choking her while she sat in the driver’s seat and would not let her out of the vehicle.

Moore said she feared she would lose consciousness, managed to escape, and ran to the nearby Five Guys restaurant. Officers observed red marks on her neck and throat. She told police she believed her son would have killed her if she had not gotten away. She also reported that Parker said he was not going to jail or prison and that if officers tried to stop him, he would shoot it out with them.

Parker then drove off in the Tahoe. A phone location ping placed him in the Adairsville area. Adairsville officers spotted the vehicle on Hall Station Road. They tried to stop it near State Route 140 around 11:52 p.m. Parker refused to stop, accelerated, and led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds reported between 70 and 98 miles per hour.

The chase continued onto Old Dixie Highway and Joe Frank Harris Parkway toward the Gordon County line. Parker then attempted a turn, lost control, and struck a maroon Kia Optima that was stopped at a stop sign. The Tahoe left the roadway and ended up in a tree line. The driver of the Kia told officers her airbags deployed and she had leg pain. Emergency crews responded to the scene.

Officers took Parker into custody without further incident. After receiving a Miranda warning, he told an Adairsville Sergeant that he had been trying to kill his mother, placed a plastic bag over her head, and stole the car after she escaped. He said he fled the traffic stop because he knew he did not have a license.

Officers transported Parker to the Bartow County jail.