ATLANTA — An Atlanta teen is back in jail after leading troopers on a high-speed chase that ended in a shootout with a trooper.
Montrez Ballard, 19, is now back in jail after six months of being free.
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According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Ballard was arrested and booked into the Fulton County Jail Thursday.
The shooting happened on First St. NW in Atlanta.
“I just heard about 10, 20 gunshots, and I told my wife to hit the floor,” said Kenneth Coffield.
Cofield lives near the intersection and said he was just falling asleep before 11:00 Wednesday night when the shooting started.
He said he heard officers on the street searching for the 19-year-old.
State agents say troopers initially tried to pull Ballard over for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, but he led the troopers on a chase. GBI says one trooper pulled what’s known as a PIT maneuver and forced the car into a stop sign at First St.
That’s when GBI said Ballard got out and ran while shooting. A trooper fired back, and one bullet hit Ballard. He survived. He was in Fulton County Jail by Thursday.
Jail records and warrants confirm he just got out of that jail in December.
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He 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.
He faces 22 charges in this case. To see them, click here.
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