After a driver sped away from a traffic stop, he led police on a chase that reached 130 mph and opened fire on a Coweta County sheriff’s deputy.
By Simone Jasper. Source The Charlotte Observer
A driver went more than 130 mph and fired shots during a police chase in Georgia, officials said.
Now, the person accused of leading the high-speed pursuit is in custody, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. Video shared with The Newnan Times-Herald and other outlets shows the harrowing moments before officers caught the driver.
The Atlanta-area department said it happened after one of its deputies made a traffic stop on Wednesday, March 30. The deputy reportedly was in a marked patrol car when the driver pulled over on Interstate 85.
But as the deputy walked up to the car, the driver took off, officials said.
“The vehicle continued north on I-85 at speeds in excess of 130mph,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “The occupant of the vehicle aimed a firearm at the pursuing deputy and fired at least two rounds while outside of Coweta County.”
A witness, Abdul Kahn, told WXIA children had just gotten out of school when he saw police cars racing near the interstate.
“It was kind of crazy,” he said, according to the TV station. “I thought it was a shooting. I thought maybe somebody got killed. I wasn’t too sure so that’s why I came out to see what was happening.”
No one was hurt during the chase, which ended near the Sylvan Road exit. The driver, who officials didn’t name in their news release, is “facing multiple charges from multiple jurisdictions.”
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