Minutes after defendant Brandon Bjorn Fortune fled from law enforcement during a traffic stop for a seatbelt violation, police officers discovered cocaine and marijuana discarded at the intersection where Fortune had initially fled in his vehicle. Fortune subsequently was indicted and convicted of trafficking in cocaine; possession of cocaine with intent to distribute; possession of less than one ounce of marijuana; abandonment of a controlled substance; and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. On appeal from the denial of his amended motion for new trial, Fortune challenges the sufficiency of the evidence and contends that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of a chemical field test conducted by one of the police officers. For the following reasons, we affirm. Following a criminal conviction, we construe the evidence in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict. Grier v. State , 273 Ga. App. 517 1 615 SE2d 586 2005. So viewed, the evidence showed that police officers with the City of Snellville Police Department were checking for seatbelt usage at the intersection of Pinehurst Road and Valley Creek Circle, a four-way stop in a residential subdivision in Gwinnett County. The officers, who were on foot, were stationed on each side of the four-way stop so that they could observe drivers who stopped at the intersection. The officers instructed drivers who were not wearing their seatbelts to pull over to the side of the road to receive a traffic citation.
Fortune, who was not wearing his seatbelt, drove up to the intersection. There were no other occupants in Fortune’s vehicle. Based upon the observed traffic violation, one of the officers approached the vehicle, noted to Fortune that he did not have on his seatbelt, and ordered Fortune to pull over in front of the officer’s marked patrol car that was parked on Valley Creek Circle. The officer was in his police department uniform with his badge displayed. At first, Fortune complied with the officer’s order by turning onto Valley Creek Circle. Fortune, however, continued driving past the officer’s patrol car and accelerated rapidly as he turned at the next intersection onto Ridgewood Way.
