Man Driving Vehicle Registered to Tyreek Hill Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges in Douglas

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Last week, a 32-year-old was arrested on trafficking charges after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop and abandoning the vehicle with a child in the passenger seat. The chase resulted in the discovery of 230 grams of methamphetamine, which the suspect allegedly threw out while fleeing on foot. According to local detectives, the vehicle the suspect was driving was registered to NFL football player Tyreek Hill.

According to a copy of a Coffee County Drug Unit preliminary report, a detective was conducting narcotics patrol in the area of South Daughtry Avenue and Cherry Street, "a known high drug activity area," in Douglas on July 16. During patrol, the detective witnessed a white Dodge Charger make a wide right turn off of West Phillips Street onto South Daughtry Avenue, traveling south.

The detective noticed the vehicle then "turn extremely wide," causing the front driver side tire to cross over the double yellow line before merging back into the correct lane of travel. He also noted that the tint on the front and back windows of the driver's side was "extremely dark," later determined to be at 12%.

According to the report, the vehicle had the tag number BX98BN, registered through the state of Florida and confirmed to be registered to Tyreek Hill.

The detective stated that he received information from a confidential source a few weeks prior indicating the vehicle was "involved in the distribution of illegal narcotics, mainly methamphetamine, in the south side of Douglas, Georgia." The source also described the person distributing narcotics from this vehicle as a "black male with dreads."

A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle on South Daughtry Avenue. When the detective activated his emergency lights, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as 32-year-old Billy Clarence Toombs Jr., "was observed through the rear windshield opening his center console and placing something inside before closing it."

Approaching the driver's side, the detective recognized Toombs Jr., known to him as a "known distributor of illegal narcotics." When asked for a driver's license, Toombs Jr. claimed he did not have one on him. He provided his name and date of birth, which the detective ran through the Georgia Crime Information Center.

Dispatchers at Coffee E911 were also contacted to run the registration information of the vehicle. While waiting for Coffee E-911 to respond, the detective spoke to Toombs Jr., who claimed he was taking his son to his mother's house. The detective noted a young child appeared asleep in the front passenger seat without a seatbelt.

The detective explained to Toombs Jr. that it was "his job to locate illegal narcotics," after which Toombs Jr. became "agitated," began breathing heavily, and avoided eye contact.

Toombs Jr. refused consent for a narcotics search of the vehicle.

According to the report, the detective informed Toombs Jr. that a narcotics K-9 Deputy was en route, causing him to become even more nervous. The detective recognized this behavior as a sign Toombs Jr. was looking for an escape route. He also noticed the vehicle was still in gear.

At that point, Toombs Jr. was ordered to park the vehicle. When instructed to exit, he ignored the command, rolled up his window, and drove away from the traffic stop, prompting the involvement of two additional drug detectives.

After fleeing, Toombs Jr. turned left onto West Baker Highway, heading east. A detective radioed Coffee E911 to alert them of the ongoing car chase, continuing through intersections and running two red lights at high speed.

Approaching East Baker Highway and South Gaskins Avenue, Toombs Jr. slowed, activated his blinker, and turned right onto South Gaskins, traveling south at a high speed, passing vehicles in the turning lane.

The detective, aware of the child in the vehicle, reduced speed and was preparing to call off the chase when Toombs Jr. stopped at the intersection of South Gaskins Avenue and Fiesta Street. Toombs Jr. then fled on foot, observed carrying "what appeared to be a clear bag in his right hand."

He ran onto Edgewood Avenue, broke into a residence, and fled out the rear door, jumping over a fence toward South Gaskins Avenue. Running through yards and behind homes, he threw a clear plastic bag into the air, which landed on a neighboring home's roof. He continued running until being tased and detained by detectives, who found $1,118.50 in cash on his person.

During his flight, the vehicle rolled south on Gaskin Avenue, and the child in the passenger seat fell out. A sergeant with the Douglas Police Department contacted Coffee E-911 for EMS assistance, and the child was taken to Coffee Regional Medical Center. After evaluation, the child was placed in the care of his grandmother while awaiting his mother's arrival at the hospital.

Following Toombs Jr.'s arrest, detectives returned to the residence on South Gaskins Avenue and found a large Ziplock baggie containing six separate suspected methamphetamine baggies on the roof. Additional suspected methamphetamine baggies were found along the path Toombs Jr. had taken while fleeing, including one on the fence and others near the residence on Edgewood Avenue.

The detective noted similarities in the packaging of the baggies, all of which were collected as evidence. The vehicle Toombs Jr. drove was impounded at the Coffee County Sheriff's Office.

The detective visited the hospitalized child, observing them playing and appearing uninjured. He spoke with a family member, who reported the child was "doing and feeling good."

Arrest warrants revealed the child to be 5 years old.

The suspected methamphetamine found on Toombs Jr.'s path totaled approximately 103 grams (including packaging), with an additional 132 grams in the large Ziplock baggie. The substances were field tested and yielded positive results for methamphetamine, pending confirmation by the GBI Crime Lab.

According to records from the Georgia Department of Corrections and Coffee County Superior Court documents, Toombs Jr. previously faced charges, including robbery and armed robbery, resulting in imprisonment from February 2010 to March 2014, with subsequent periods of incarceration from November 2014 to September 2017, January 2018 to February 2018, and February 2020 to January 2021.

Court documents also indicated Toombs Jr. faced charges of Receipt, Possession, or Transfer of Firearm by Convicted Felon or Felony First Offender in September 2017, later marked as Nolle Prosequi in April 2019.

Earlier in 2024, Toombs Jr. was arrested for Aggravated Battery (Family Violence) on January 13, accused of assaulting a woman, resulting in her eye swelling shut. He was released on bond three days later.

Daily Coffee Press reached out to a representative of Tyreek Hill regarding the vehicle's registration under his name. A representative informed WALB that Hill had "no affiliation or relationship with the individual" and was unaware of why the individual had access to the vehicle.

As of now, Daily Coffee Press has not received a response from the representative and will update the story if more information becomes available.

Attributions: All information was obtained from a Coffee County Drug Preliminary Report, documents filed in the Superior Court of Coffee County, and the Georgia Department of Corrections.