A jury convicted Sarann Tauch of one count of theft by taking OCGA § 16-8-2, two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer OCGA § 40-6-395 a, and one count of criminal damage to property —second degree. OCGA § 16-7-23. Tauch appeals, contending that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions for theft by taking and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Discerning no error, we affirm. When reviewing a criminal conviction, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, and the defendant no longer enjoys the presumption of innocence. We do not weigh the evidence or determine witness credibility, but only determine whether the evidence was sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted. Citations omitted. Graham v. State , 269 Ga. App. 590, 592 1 604 SE2d 651 2004. Viewed in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict, the evidence shows that on July 21, 2007, at approximately 2:20 a.m., an alarm activated at the First Georgia Bank “First Georgia” in Jefferson. Pursuant to a radio call about an ATM theft, Sergeant Nick Smith of the City of Jefferson Police Department responded to First Georgia at 2:33 a.m. He was in uniform, in a City of Jefferson marked patrol car, equipped with blue lights on top. Upon his arrival, he observed scuff marks on the pavement behind the bank’s parking lot, leading in the direction of a vacant grassy lot, which was not well-lit. The bank’s ATM had been uprooted from its foundation and was missing; loose wires and loose concrete were in its place. Suddenly, he noticed the headlights and taillights of a large vehicle pull out of the vacant lot at a high rate of speed, dragging what he believed to be loose wires from an ATM machine, causing “sparks” to fly. Sergeant Smith called Officer James McNatt for backup, and pursued Tauch’s vehicle on U.S.129 at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. After Tauch’s vehicle ran a stop sign, Sergeant Smith activated his blue lights in order to stop the vehicle, but Tauch accelerated. Upon reaching Winder Highway, Sergeant Smith also activated his emergency siren, yet Tauch continued to flee, running a red light.
Officer McNatt also pursued Tauch behind Sergeant Smith, who was traveling northbound on U.S. 129 in a high-speed pursuit of Tauch’s vehicle. Braselton police assisted by deploying “stop sticks” in Tauch’s direction of travel. As the tires of Tauch’s vehicle deflated, the vehicle struck a median, slowing it down, and enabling Officer McNatt to effect a traffic stop by pinning it against a guardrail. A 25-foot tow strap with a large metal hook at the end was tied to the tow hitch of Tauch’s vehicle. The officer also identified Tauch’s vehicle as the same vehicle depicted in surveillance photos at the bank at 12:51 a.m. and 2:29 a.m. that same day.
