ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta man will spend years in prison for his role in connection to a high-speed chase that ended in a shootout with a trooper.
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A judge sentenced Montrez Ballard, 21, of Hampton, to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The sentencing comes after Ballard’s involvement in a high-speed chase that occurred on July 21, 2023.
Court documents say Ballard was driving a Nissan Maxima when he abruptly cut off a Georgia State Patrol trooper on First Street in northwest Atlanta. State agents say troopers initially tried to pull Ballard over for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Officials said Ballard began speeding, traveling 20 miles per hour over the speed limit in a residential neighborhood. He ran stop signs and nearly hit another car. Minutes into the chase, Ballard crashed into a stop sign after GSP conducted a PIT maneuver.
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That’s when authorities said Ballard got out and ran while shooting, firing at least three shots at the trooper. A trooper fired back, and one bullet hit Ballard.
Officers eventually arrested Ballard – who was on probation for a state robbery offense at the time of the incident. Officers recovered his gun. Court documents revealed that Ballard’s gun, a Glock 19 9mm handgun, was determined to be equipped with a device that converted the weapon into a machine gun, allowing the gun to fire continuously without multiple trigger pulls.
“Ballard’s brazen actions endangered the life of a law enforcement officer,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Moultrie, Jr. “This lengthy prison sentence reflects Ballard’s dangerous, and potentially lethal, attack on a Georgia State Patrol trooper whose very mission is to help keep our community safe.”
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Ballard spent nearly five years locked up in the juvenile and adult system after being convicted of carjacking, leading police on a chase, and shooting at them in 2018. He was 14 then. He was placed on probation in Dec. 2022. Ballard spent less than seven months free before being accused of repeating a crime.
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