DeKalb County

DeKalb officer opens fire on driver who rammed cruiser, police say

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County police are investigating a shooting involving one of their own officers.

Investigators said a DeKalb officer was at a Motel 6 near Lawrenceville Highway and Montreal Road working on another case when the officer saw someone associated with that case.

When the officer approached the man, he got into his car and sped toward the officer. The driver then hit the officer's cruiser. That's when the officer opened fire on the car.

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"When the detective went to investigate the vehicle, the suspect then struck a police vehicle that was at the scene and then attempted to strike the detective," Maj. Jerry A. Lewis with the DeKalb County Police Department said.

Randy McDow said he saw part of the chase.

"We had just finished dinner and were heading out and we were stunned to see this happen," McDow told Channel 2's Justin Wilfon.

The driver took off from there and proceeded to hit three other cars before crashing at a Chevron gas station at the corner of Lavista Road and Northlake Parkway.

"We saw people getting out of their cars, shaking their head, trying to see what the damage was to their cars," McDow said.

The driver was taken to a nearby hospital for a gunshot wound and was listed as stable at last check.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been called in to help investigate.

This is the 57th shooting investigation involving law enforcement in Georgia so far this year.