Georgia · Atlanta · Interstate

I-75 Accident in Atlanta, GA: Akil Lateef Mayer, 34, Killed Running Across the Interstate Near Howell Mill Road

Atlanta police say a man ran into interstate traffic on northbound I-75 and was struck by multiple vehicles. Northbound lanes were shut down and have reopened. One of the three outlets covering this has a name from the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office; the other two say he had not been identified. The reported times do not line up.

What happened on I-75 in Atlanta?

A man was struck by multiple vehicles and killed while running across Interstate 75 in Atlanta during the overnight hours into Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.

All three outlets reviewed for this report carry that core account, and each of the three attributes it to Atlanta police. Atlanta News First reported that a man attempting to run across an Atlanta interstate was struck overnight by multiple vehicles and killed. WSB-TV reported that a man died after he was hit by multiple cars on Interstate 75 in northwest Atlanta. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that a man died Wednesday morning after getting hit by multiple cars while trying to run across Interstate 75 in Atlanta.

Atlanta News First reported that emergency crews found an unresponsive man lying on the highway, and that he was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that EMS responders declared him dead at the scene.

On the word police used: WSB-TV is the outlet that puts it in quotation marks, reporting that according to police, a man "darted" into interstate traffic and was hit by multiple vehicles. FOX 5 Atlanta reported, without quoting the term, that investigators believe the man was hit after he attempted to dart across active traffic lanes.

Everything below is held to what those three outlets attribute to a named agency. Where they disagree, this page says so rather than picking the tidiest version. The man who died is not accused of anything, and no reason for his being on the interstate has been offered by anyone.

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Where on I-75 did the accident happen?

In the northbound lanes of I-75 in Atlanta. Past that, the three outlets do not name the same cross street.

Atlanta News First placed it on I-75 north near the Howell Mill Road exit. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the crash happened on I-75 northbound near Howell Mill Road — and, in a separate sentence in the same story, that a pedestrian was struck in the northbound lanes of I-75 near Moores Mill Road. WSB-TV did not pick one either: it reported that police and fire officials shut down the interstate between Howell Mill Road and Moores Mill Road.

Those two interchanges are consecutive on that stretch, so a closure spanning both is not a contradiction. What has not been established is the point of impact.

Attention: no agency has released a mile marker or an exit number, and none of the three outlets published one. This page does not supply either, and the diagram below plots no impact point.

Reference coordinates for the I-75 corridor at Howell Mill Road NW, per OpenStreetMap: 33.8016° N, 84.4126° W. They locate the interchange, not the accident.

What time did the accident happen?

This one has to be said plainly, because the published times cannot all be true.

Atlanta News First reported that just before 5 a.m. Wednesday, emergency crews responded to I-75 north near the Howell Mill Road exit. FOX 5 Atlanta, in a second story on the same accident, reported that Atlanta police officers responded around 4:41 a.m. Wednesday.

But WSB-TV reported that police and fire officials shut down the interstate late Tuesday night, and that Triple Team Traffic's Mike Shields reported the lanes reopened just before 4:30 a.m. FOX 5 Atlanta's own reopening story says the crash happened after midnight, and elsewhere that the pedestrian was struck shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Set those side by side and the problem is obvious: officers cannot have arrived at 4:41 or just before 5 a.m. at a scene whose lanes reopened before 4:30 a.m. Either the response times are late by several hours, or the reopening time belongs to a different clock. At least one of those timestamps is wrong, and no agency has published a single fixed time to settle it.

The honest statement is the one this page will stand behind: overnight into Wednesday morning, in a window running from shortly after midnight to around 5 a.m. that has not been narrowed publicly.

Where our sources differ

Three newsrooms, one accident, and a set of details that do not line up. Here is exactly who reported what.

Note on FOX 5 Atlanta: that outlet published two stories on this accident, and both are cited above and linked in the sources. They are two reports from one newsroom, not two independent confirmations.

Who was the man killed on I-75?

Akil Lateef Mayer, 34 — according to one of the three outlets.

Atlanta News First reported that the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 34-year-old Akil Lateef Mayer. That same story also states that officers have not released the name of the victim, which is not a contradiction: the medical examiner and the police department are separate offices that release information on separate schedules.

The other two outlets do not have a name. WSB-TV reported that the man has not been identified as of Wednesday morning. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that authorities have not released the identity of the man who died in the collision.

No hometown, no next-of-kin status, and no cause-and-manner finding has been reported by anyone.

Why we are publishing his name

Because a named agency released it to a named outlet, and that is the standard this site holds itself to.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office is a public office whose job includes identifying the dead. It made the identification and Atlanta News First published it. That is a sourced release, not a leak, not a scanner rumor and not a social media claim.

What this page will not do is imply the other two newsrooms confirmed it. They did not. WSB-TV and FOX 5 Atlanta both published Wednesday saying the man had not been identified. If Atlanta News First corrects or withdraws that identification, this page will be corrected to match.

How many vehicles were involved?

Four — and again, that number comes from one outlet.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Atlanta police said the interstate lanes were fully shut down on that section and four vehicles were involved in the collision. Atlanta News First said only that he was struck by multiple vehicles. WSB-TV said multiple cars. Neither of those two published a count.

Nothing has been reported about what those vehicles were, who was driving them, whether they stopped, or which one struck him first.

Why was I-75 shut down, and is it open now?

I-75 is open. No outlet has reported a continuing closure.

WSB-TV reported that lanes reopened just before 4:30 a.m., citing Triple Team Traffic's Mike Shields on Channel 2 Action News This Morning. Atlanta News First reported that crews initially shut down northbound lanes in response to the incident, but traffic through the corridor has since resumed. FOX 5 Atlanta headlined its story on the reopening.

As for why an interstate closes at all in a case like this: a fatal accident scene is an investigation site before it is a traffic problem. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Atlanta police said lanes were fully shut down on that section with four vehicles involved. WSB-TV reported that a Channel 2 Action News photographer captured images of cars stopped on the interstate as police, Georgia Department of Transportation officials, fire crews, ambulances and tow trucks responded.

WSB-TV is the only one of the three outlets that places GDOT at the scene. That is a roadway and traffic-management role. GDOT does not investigate deaths.

Who investigates a pedestrian death on a Georgia interstate?

It depends on which agency has jurisdiction over that stretch of road. Here, it is the city police.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the Atlanta Police Department's Accident Investigations Unit is leading the ongoing probe. Atlanta News First reported that Atlanta police continue to investigate and are working to learn the circumstances around the incident.

This distinction matters more than it looks. Atlanta police, the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Department of Transportation are three separate agencies, and a family chasing a report from the wrong one loses days. On a Georgia interstate the investigating agency is not automatic — state troopers work many of them, but a city department can and does work accidents inside its own limits, which is what happened here.

What about the drivers who struck him?

Very little is on the record, and nothing that has been reported accuses any of them of anything.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that officers have not stated if any of the drivers in the four vehicles suffered injuries or if any charges will be filed. Atlanta News First and WSB-TV did not address the drivers at all.

No arrest has been reported. No citation has been reported. No outlet has reported that any driver left the scene. Absence of a charge is not a finding, and neither is the absence of a report about one — the investigation is described by two outlets as ongoing.

Hurt in an interstate accident?

Get a straight answer.Before you talk to anyone.

Ask what a police report actually establishes, what an adjuster is allowed to ask, and how long you have to act.

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The stretch of I-75 involved

North of the point where I-75 and I-85 split apart above downtown, I-75 runs northwest through Atlanta past a run of closely spaced interchanges. Howell Mill Road and Moores Mill Road are two of them, and they are the two that appear in this coverage.

That is the extent of what this page will assert about the geography. No outlet described the lane configuration, the lighting, the shoulder, the presence or absence of fencing, or whether there is any pedestrian crossing anywhere near the scene, and none of those things will be inferred here from a map.

Interstates in Georgia are limited-access highways. That is a design fact, not a comment on the man who died, and nobody in this case has been accused of anything.

How to get a Georgia accident report

You request it from the agency that investigated the accident — not from the state generally, and not from GDOT.

In this case that is the Atlanta Police Department, whose Accident Investigations Unit FOX 5 Atlanta identified as leading the probe. Three practical points, which apply to any Georgia accident report:

If you are told a report is unavailable, ask why and ask when — "the investigation is open" has a different timeline than "it has not been typed up yet."

What the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office does next

Identification is the first step, not the last one. The office identifies the dead and establishes cause and manner of death.

Atlanta News First reported the identification. No outlet has reported a cause-of-death or manner-of-death finding from that office, and this page will not assume one from the circumstances. Those findings are separate documents on a separate schedule from the police investigation.

What happens next in this investigation

Three things, in rough order.

The police investigation. FOX 5 Atlanta reported the Atlanta Police Department's Accident Investigations Unit is leading it. Atlanta News First reported that police are working to learn the circumstances. Neither reported a timeline, and none is published.

The driver question. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that officers have not said whether any charges will be filed. That is the item most likely to change next, in either direction.

The medical examiner's findings. The identification is out. Cause and manner are not.

This page will be updated when a named agency or a named outlet publishes more. Nothing on it is filled in by inference.

What we don't know yet

If you lost someone in this accident

If the man on I-75 was your family, the next few days have a shape, and knowing it helps.

You will be dealing with two offices, not one. The Atlanta Police Department holds the accident investigation and the incident report. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office holds the identification and, later, the cause and manner of death. Those are separate requests to separate places.

If you are looking for someone and you are worried it might be him, call the Atlanta Police Department directly rather than waiting on any news site, including this one.

Attention: you are not obligated to give a recorded statement to an insurer or to an investigator working for a driver's insurance company while you are still waiting on an identification or a cause of death. Ask for the request in writing. Ask who they work for. Write down every name and badge number you are given.

It costs nothing to ask a question before you answer one.

Frequently asked questions

What happened on I-75 in Atlanta?
A man was struck by multiple vehicles and killed while running across Interstate 75 in Atlanta during the overnight hours into Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. All three outlets reviewed for this report - Atlanta News First, WSB-TV and FOX 5 Atlanta - carry that core account, and each attributes it to Atlanta police. WSB-TV placed the location in northwest Atlanta. Northbound lanes were shut down at the scene and have since reopened.

Why was I-75 shut down in Atlanta?
Because a pedestrian was struck and killed in the northbound lanes and the scene had to be worked. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Atlanta police said the interstate lanes were fully shut down on that section and that four vehicles were involved in the collision. WSB-TV reported that police and fire officials shut down the interstate between Howell Mill Road and Moores Mill Road. A fatal accident on an interstate is an investigation scene before it is a traffic problem.

Is I-75 open now?
Yes. WSB-TV reported that Triple Team Traffic's Mike Shields said the lanes reopened just before 4:30 a.m. Atlanta News First reported that crews initially shut down northbound lanes but that traffic through the corridor has since resumed. FOX 5 Atlanta headlined its story on the reopening. No outlet has reported a continuing closure.

What time did the I-75 accident happen?
The published times do not line up, and no single fixed time is on the record. Atlanta News First reported that emergency crews responded just before 5 a.m. Wednesday. WSB-TV reported that police and fire officials shut down the interstate late Tuesday night and that lanes reopened just before 4:30 a.m. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the crash happened after midnight, and a later FOX 5 Atlanta report said officers responded around 4:41 a.m. Wednesday. A response after 4:30 a.m. cannot be squared with a reopening before 4:30 a.m., so at least one of those timestamps is wrong. This page does not pick a favorite.

Where exactly on I-75 did the accident happen?
In the northbound lanes of I-75 in Atlanta, but the outlets do not agree on the cross street. Atlanta News First placed it on I-75 north near the Howell Mill Road exit. FOX 5 Atlanta said the crash happened on I-75 northbound near Howell Mill Road in one sentence and said the pedestrian was struck near Moores Mill Road in another. WSB-TV described the closure as running between Howell Mill Road and Moores Mill Road. No agency has released a mile marker or an exit number.

Who was killed on I-75 in Atlanta?
One outlet has a name. Atlanta News First reported that the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified him as 34-year-old Akil Lateef Mayer, and in the same story noted that officers have not released the name of the victim. WSB-TV reported that the man had not been identified as of Wednesday morning. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that authorities have not released the identity of the man who died. The Local Alert is carrying the name because a named agency, the county medical examiner, released it to a named outlet.

How many vehicles hit the man on I-75?
FOX 5 Atlanta is the only one of the three outlets with a number. It reported that Atlanta police said four vehicles were involved in the collision. Atlanta News First said multiple vehicles. WSB-TV said multiple cars. Neither of those two gave a count.

Were any of the drivers hurt?
Not established. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that officers have not stated if any of the drivers in the four vehicles suffered injuries. Atlanta News First and WSB-TV did not address driver injuries at all.

Will anyone be charged in the I-75 accident?
Nothing has been announced. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that officers have not stated whether any charges will be filed. No outlet has reported an arrest, a citation or a charge against anyone. No driver has been accused of anything, and neither has the man who died.

Who investigates a pedestrian death on a Georgia interstate?
It depends on which agency has jurisdiction over that stretch of road, and here it is the city police. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the Atlanta Police Department's Accident Investigations Unit is leading the ongoing probe. Atlanta News First reported that Atlanta police continue to investigate and are working to learn the circumstances around the incident. WSB-TV reported that Georgia Department of Transportation officials responded to the scene, which is a roadway and traffic role rather than a death investigation.

Was the Georgia State Patrol involved?
Not according to anything published about this accident. All three outlets attribute the investigation to Atlanta police, and none of the three names the Georgia State Patrol. Atlanta police, the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Department of Transportation are separate agencies with separate roles, and they are not interchangeable.

How do I get a Georgia accident report?
You request it from the agency that investigated the accident, not from the state generally. Here that is the Atlanta Police Department, whose Accident Investigations Unit FOX 5 Atlanta identified as leading the probe. Reports are not usually available the same day, and a report on a fatal accident can be held back while the investigation is open. Get the incident or case number first, because every later request runs off that number.

What does the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office do?
It identifies the dead and determines cause and manner of death in cases like this one. Atlanta News First reported that the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as 34-year-old Akil Lateef Mayer. No outlet has reported a cause or manner of death finding from that office.

Why was the man on the interstate?
Nobody has said, and this page will not guess. WSB-TV reported that investigators have not said why the man was running. No agency has offered a reason and no outlet has reported one. He is not accused of anything.

Did all three outlets report the same facts?
No. They agree that a man was struck by multiple vehicles and killed on I-75 in Atlanta, that he was running across the lanes, that lanes were shut down, and that Atlanta police are investigating. They diverge on the time, on the cross street, on the number of vehicles and on whether the man has been identified. Those differences are set out in the comparison table on this page.