ATLANTA -- A trucker clung to the back of his trailerless semi Tuesday while a man who commandeered the vehicle led police on a 50-mile chase down I-75 southbound, authorities said. The semi eventually slowed enough for the trucker to leap off near the end of the chase.

Officials said the suspect had a morning court appearance scheduled for Wednesday morning.

The unusual chase began when the tractor-trailer cab was carjacked out of south Fulton County from a Kroger parking lot on Jonesboro Road near the Visual Pak Warehouse, according to Capt. Jason Bolton with the Henry County Police Department.

Torrey Lang, a U.S. Express employee who was picking up a delivery from Visual Pak, was at a Metro PCS store in the Kroger shopping center when he saw the suspect stealing his truck.

Lang ran out of the store and apparently tried to stop the suspect before jumping onto the outside of the truck.

A Metro PCS employee said, "I thought I saw (Lang) bang on the door and the truck just kept on driving off."

During the chase, Lang could be seen hanging on to the outside of the rig.

Police said while Lang was on the back of the truck, he was on his cell phone with 911 operators and giving them updates.

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SLIDESHOW: Truck Thief Leads Police On Chase
RAW VIDEO: Officers Wrestle Truck Chase Suspect To Ground

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After approximately 30 minutes, the truck, which had several tires blown out, began to slow down. News Chopper 2 reporter Jason Durden was over the scene when Lang took advantage of the slowing speed and jumped off the back of the truck and onto the interstate. He was not injured. After he jumped off, he stood up and brushed himself off.

Lang received minor scrapes from his tumble to the ground but is expected to be OK.

"I just want to see him myself to make sure he is OK," said Tanya Lang, Torrey Lang's grandmother, speaking with The Associated Press by telephone Tuesday. "I've been trying call to reach him all day. I just want to make sure he's OK."

The truck came to a complete stop in Monroe County. Officers surrounded the truck on the interstate with guns drawn.

The male suspect, identified as Milo Demetris Banks, 27, was pulled by force from the cab and then wrestled to the ground. More than two dozen officers were on the scene.

The Georgia State Patrol confirmed a trooper was shot by friendly fire from another law enforcement officer during the suspect take-down. The trooper, identified as M. Howard, suffered a flesh wound to his hand and arm.

Howard was taken to a hospital in Macon.

The GBI is assisting other law enforcement agencies, including the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, in the investigation of the incident.

Banks faces a charge of felony theft of a motor vehicle and an initial court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

It is not known if Banks has a lawyer.