New details about suspect involved in police chase, crash near 53rd, Habersham streets

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - New details were released about a man arrested and charged after a police chase and crash Tuesday morning.

That chase ended with one person injured, and a crash that caused a gas leak that forced an evacuation of the area.

Bond was denied today for 37 year old Benny Baheem Black. Police say Black was wanted and did not stop when they tried to pull him over on Savannah’s Southside.

Black is charged with Fleeing, reckless driving, hit and run, burglary, arson, terroristic threats, and other charges.

The state argued that Black is a flight risk, and a danger to the community. The WTOC Investigates team dug into his criminal history.

Benny Black is a registered sex offender, classified by the Georgia Sexual Offender Registration Review Board as a Sexually Dangerous Predator.

That means he has a higher risk of re-offending and that goes back to a 2008 conviction for child molestation.

Black was sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison and 11 on probation.

According to court documents, he pleaded guilty to violating his probation in 2021 when he was charged with battery and trespassing, and was sentenced to a year in prison.

In the year since his release, court records show he was charged with trespassing, battery and damaging property.

Black is due back in court in January for both his felony and misdemeanor charges.

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