DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County police are searching for a dangerous gunman they say fired multiple shots at officers.
Investigators say the gunman also stole a truck and drove it to a business, where he tried to shoot the victim he stole it from.
"It's by the grace of God that no one got hit," Maj. A.T. Mears, with the DeKalb County Police Department, told Channel 2's Michael Seiden.
The shooting happened around 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the Family Dollar store at Panola and Young roads.
“Officers were already on scene, working another call at the same location. When they heard the shot, they ran to intervene,” Mears said. “The subject then fired a shot at the officers. They returned fire. At this point, we don’t believe anyone’s been hit. At this point, the individual is at large. We are currently searching for him."
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Investigators at the scene believe the same suspect who shot at police is also responsible for stealing a work truck from the parking lot of an Advance Auto Parts in Lithonia.
Seiden called the number on the stolen truck, and the owner told him that one of her top and most trusted employees had run into the store to grab a battery when all of a sudden, the suspect jumped in, grabbed the keys and drove off.
"Our employee actually called his supervisor, which has a tracking system on the truck, and they were able to track where the truck went," the business owner said.
The employee hitched a ride with a good Samaritan, who drove him about a half-mile down the road, where he tried to wrestle the man out of the stolen truck.
“The guy had a gun. He tried to shoot him, so he let him go," Mears said.
That's when police rushed in, putting their lives on the line to save the life of a victim.
Police told Seiden that detectives recovered the suspect's gun, but his whereabouts are still unknown.
Detectives said they would review surveillance video and release a description as soon as they have a good one.
Cox Media Group
