ATLANTA — People dodged bullets in downtown Atlanta Monday night during a shootout with police that left a suspect dead.
Atlanta police say it all started when an officer spotted a red Jeep driving the wrong way on West Peachtree Street around 7:45 p.m. When he tried to make a traffic stop, police say the Jeep sped off, hit a shuttle bus, and then struck a pole.
Police say the driver and passenger jumped out and ran but officers immediately caught the driver. The passenger ran behind a nearby Aloft Hotel and that's when the gunfire erupted, authorities say.
"Once they got behind the hotel, there was an exchange of gunfire between the officers and passenger of the vehicle," Atlanta Police Maj. Adam Lee II.
https://twitter.com/BeeBaLeebs/status/671508939813609473/video/1
A short while later, the passenger was found dead behind dumpsters with a .45 caliber weapon by his side.
Bryceton O'Neal was several feet away and tried to take cover.
"Where the shots were being fired was directly across the street from us, there was really no cover in between. The cops were only actually about 100 yards in front of us were hiding behind their cars with guns," O'Neal said.
Authorities say they found cash and a large duffle bag full of what appeared to be marijuana in the suspects’ Jeep.
https://twitter.com/RikkiKlausWSB/status/671543186540642304
The medical examiner identified the man as 18-year-old Darius Smith of South Carolina.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting. No officers were injured in the incident.
WSBTV
