ALBANY, GA. (THECOUNT) — Rickey Thomas, 26, and a four-year-old child were killed Saturday night in a multi-vehicle crash on Krug Street in Albany, Georgia, linked to suspected drag racing, the Albany Police Department confirmed. Drivers Brandon King and Jacob Daniels Jr. were subsequently taken into custody. Two additional victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Thomas was 26.
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The crash occurred at approximately 9:41 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in the 1900 block of Krug Street in Albany, Georgia.
According to investigators, a vehicle involved in drag racing lost control and struck several other vehicles. The driver of that vehicle was identified as King, 24. A second driver involved in the racing fled the scene but later returned. That driver, identified as Daniels Jr., 25, was taken into custody by authorities.
Thomas and the four-year-old child died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. The identity of the child has not been released. Two additional victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, for treatment.
According to the Dougherty County Jail inmate search, King has been charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, reckless driving, and racing on a highway/exhibition of speed or acceleration. Daniels Jr. faces identical charges. Bond for each has been set at $1,700.
Albany is the county seat of Dougherty County in southwest Georgia, located approximately 90 miles south of Macon and 75 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida. The city has a population of approximately 70,000 residents and serves as the commercial and governmental hub of the greater southwest Georgia region. Krug Street is a residential and commercial corridor running through the city’s urban core, lined with a mix of homes and small businesses typical of Albany’s older neighborhoods.
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, where the injured victims were transported, is the region’s largest medical facility and serves as the primary trauma center for southwest Georgia, drawing patients from Dougherty County and the surrounding rural communities across a wide swath of the state’s southern tier.
Dougherty County is a predominantly urban county in the heart of southwest Georgia’s agricultural belt. Albany serves as its economic engine, with industries ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to healthcare and education. Saturday’s deadly crash is likely to renew calls for stronger enforcement of street racing laws in the community.
Drag racing on public streets has been a persistent public safety concern in communities across the United States. High-speed racing in residential and commercial corridors dramatically increases the risk of catastrophic crashes, particularly when vehicles lose control and strike bystanders or occupied vehicles. Georgia law treats vehicular homicide in the first degree — the charge both King and Daniels Jr. face — as a felony offense, carrying significant prison time upon conviction.
The death of a four-year-old child in Saturday’s crash underscores the devastating and indiscriminate consequences street racing can have on innocent bystanders. Authorities have not released the name of the child or details regarding the child’s connection to the other victims or vehicles involved in the crash.
The Albany Police Department Traffic Unit is continuing its investigation and will release additional updates as more information becomes available.
A Google Maps link to the approximate crash location in the 1900 block of Krug Street in Albany can be found here: 1900 Krug Street, Albany, Georgia (approximate).
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