Asst. police chief told family to 'hit the floor' as someone shot at his home

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — A local police officer told his family to hit the floor when three bullets entered his house early Sunday morning.

Robert Watts, the assistant police chief for the Monroe Police Department, was home with his wife and three children when suspected thieves fired at his patrol car and his house in Newton County. The shooting came at the end of a crime spree in his neighborhood off Highway 278 that involved nine car break-ins and two car thefts, according to authorities.

“It breaks my heart that my wife and kids had to go experience that first hand,” Watts said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Federal authorities investigating deadly shooting at DeKalb County post office
• 2 Ga. Southern students from Acworth killed in wrong-way crash
• Deputies: Missing Florida teen wiped cellphone before running away

No one was injured in the incident.

Authorities believe that the suspected thieves also fired two shots into Watts’ patrol car parked in his driveway on Country Walk before firing into the house.

The Newton County Sheriff’s office is investigating.

Watts, a 20 year law enforcement veteran, says he remains frustrated with the response time after he called 911 at 4:34 a.m. Sunday. After an open records request made by Channel 2 Action News, dispatch logs show that the first deputy arrived 19 minutes later, at 4:53 in the morning.

“[Sheriff Ezell Brown] advised me that he’s going to look into the matter,” Watts said. “Me and him are going to have a sit down face to face to talk as to how this situation transpired.”

A Newton County Sheriff’s spokesperson said ten deputies are typically on shift to serve the county at the time when the incident occurred. More patrols will be added in the neighborhood in the wake of these incidents, according to authorities.

Cox Media Group