Police: Driver Sabrina Townes who caused wreck wanted for another deadly crash

Gwinnett County authorities are investigating a fatal multi-vehicle wreck that shut down Highway 316 for several hours Sunday afteoon.

The crash happened on Highway 316 eastbound undeeath the Lawrenceville Suwanee Road bridge around 3:20 p.m., Gwinnett County fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said. 

One person, identified as 39-year-old Pamela Leake, of Lawrenceville, died from her injuries. Three others were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

When authorities arrived on the scene, there were two people trapped in one of the vehicles and they had to be extricated by firefighters, Rutledge said. One vehicle had flipped several times and came to rest upright. A total of seven vehicles were involved in the crash, police said.

”From not only the evidence we are seeing on the scene, but from what witnesses are telling us the red Isuzu was attempting to pass traffic in the emergency lane and is what started this chain reaction accident, said Lawrenceville Police Captain Jeff Smith.

Gwinnett police said the at-fault driver, Sabrina Townes, 32, had a warrant out in DeKalb County for vehicular homicide in a separate case.

”It's a tragedy and she shouldn’t have been out driving, driver Daniel Dabbs told reporters.

Townes is in custody at the Gwinnett County Jail.

She may face charges in the Highway 316 wreck, police said.

The highway reopened to traffic just after 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.