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Martel Kyles

Age : 45

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/23/2025

Location : John Deere Parkway near Wrightsboro Road

City : Grovetown

County : Columbia

State : Georgia

Agency : Columbia County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/23/2025, a Columbia County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop 45-year-old Martel Dante Kyles while Kyles was driving a gold Toyota Camry on Jimmie Dyess Parkway at the entrance ramp to Interstate 20 east. The Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies knew Kyles was wanted by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for simple assault. That outstanding warrant was the documented reason for the attempted stop.
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Kyles continued east on Interstate 20 while Columbia County deputies pursued. He exited I-20 at Exit 195 onto Wheeler Road, traveled south and turned onto Belair Frontage Road, bringing the pursuit back toward Columbia County.
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According to the sheriff’s incident report, Kyles drove west on Belair Frontage Road at speeds exceeding 100 mph, crossed into oncoming traffic and forced other motorists from the roadway. He continued through the intersection of Jimmie Dyess Parkway and Belair Frontage Road onto Park West Drive, then traveled by Old Wheeler Road to Wrightsboro Road.
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Deputies deployed stop sticks at Wrightsboro Road and Hagin Road. The stop sticks punctured the Camry’s driver-side tires, but Kyles continued west on Wrightsboro Road. Deputies also attempted to use a PIT maneuver but abandoned that attempt because surrounding traffic made it unsafe.
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Despite the damaged tires, police reported that Kyles continued at speeds exceeding 90 mph as he approached John Deere Parkway. While attempting a right turn onto John Deere Parkway at high speed, the Camry skidded across the roadway, crossed the raised center median, struck a large sign and overturned onto its roof.
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The Camry began catching fire after the crash. Deputies found a passenger trapped inside the vehicle. When deputies approached the driver’s side, they discovered that Kyles had been ejected during the rollover and was unresponsive. Emergency medical personnel responded, and the Columbia County Coroner’s Office pronounced Kyles dead at the scene.
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Kyles’ full identity was Martel Dante Kyles. His obituary gives his birth date as 04/09/1980 and his death date as 08/23/2025, establishing that he was 45 when he died. Earlier Georgia records independently identify Martel Dante Kyles as a Black male born in 1980.
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Court records also establish that Kyles had a separate Columbia County criminal case pending when he died. As recently as 08/18/2025—five days before his death—Martel Dante Kyles appeared on the Columbia County Superior Court calendar in case 2025CR0184 on sexual battery and simple battery charges. Those charges were separate from the Richmond County simple-assault warrant that authorities cited in connection with the attempted stop on 08/23/2025.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
The Columbia County sheriff’s deputies who initiated and participated in the pursuit, deployed stop sticks and attempted the PIT maneuver have not been publicly identified.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wrdw.com/2025/08/24/man-wanted-assault-dies-after-high-speed-chase-columbia-county-officials-say
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/martel-kyles-obituary?id=59387408
https://www.lenwoodjonesfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Martel-D-Kyles?obId=45200274
https://clerkofcourtcolumbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/20250818_CALENDAR_GBLANCHARD_CALENDAR-CALL.pdf