Barrow County police chase ends with deadly shootout

By Joe Johnson

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Thursday that it was investigating a deadly shootout in Barrow County earlier in the day in which officers killed a man who crashed his car while fleeing from police.

According to the GBI, the incident occurred at about 5:30 a.m., when a Barrow County sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop a Ford Fusion in Auburn, but the driver did not stop and a chase ensued.

At the intersection near Brown’s Bridge Road and Bradford Park Lane, the GBI said, the driver of the Fusion left the roadway and crashed into a power pole, and flipped onto its side.

The driver looked out of the wrecked vehicle with a handgun, and as other responding officers arrived, he threatened to shoot himself if officers approached him, according to the GBI.

Officers gave several commands for him to put the weapon down so they could assist him, but at one point, he started firing at the officers. BCSO deputies and Auburn Police Department officers returned fire, striking him according to the GBI, which said the driver was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

There was a female passenger in the car during the chase and when the wreck occurred, she crawled out of the car and immediately surrendered and was taken into custody. She was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries from the wreck.

An autopsy will be conducted at the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur at a later date.

No deputies or officers were injured in this incident.

The identities of the driver and his passenger were not immediately released.

The GBI said it will continue an independent investigation, and once completed, it will be provided to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit District Attorney for review.