Braselton police nab murder suspect during traffic stop

BRASELTON - When Braselton Police pulled over a Gwinnett County man for speeding this weekend, they ended up with a murder suspect on their hands.

Police Chief Terry Esco said 32-year-old Ismael Lewis of Lawrenceville was stopped on Interstate 85 north just before 4 a.m. Saturday for going 93 miles an hour in a 70 mile per hour zone.

"They detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle," Esco said. "When they did that they placed him in the backseat of our patrol car for safety reasons."

Esco said while the officer was running Lewis' information, it was discovered that he was wanted by Roswell Police for a serious crime.

"They also confirmed that it was a felony murder warrant by strangulation with additional warrants of aggravated assault, so evidently they're going to have more charges besides just murder charges on this guy," he said.

Esco said Braselton Police charged Lewis with speeding, a window tint violation, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and an expired tag.