By Rosana Hughes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A high-speed pursuit in Coweta County ended with a crash, a sheriff’s deputy injured and his police dog killed, according to authorities, who were still at the scene Thursday morning.
The incident started with an attempted traffic stop of a Chrysler 300 on U.S. 29 near Tommy Lee Cook Road around 11 p.m. Wednesday. The driver did not stop, and a pursuit ensued that continued into Fulton County and reached speeds of 110 mph, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office said.
The pursuing deputy eventually performed a precision immobilization technique, known as a PIT maneuver, to end the pursuit by causing the driver to crash and then deployed K-9 officer Titan to help with apprehending the driver, officials said. That is when the driver opened fire at the deputy and the dog, striking Titan multiple times. The deputy returned fire, killing the suspect, whose name has not been released.
K-9 Titan was declared dead at the scene. The deputy also was struck multiple times, but the injuries were graze wounds, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to a hospital and has since been released.
“He should make a full recovery,” the sheriff’s office said. “K-9 Titan has served the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office for over five years. During his time, Titan has successfully located several missing persons, successfully identified illegal narcotics as well as assisted in the successful apprehension of multiple offenders.”
The GBI has been asked to investigate the shooting. The agency has not released information as of early Thursday morning.
In January, Coweta sheriff’s deputy Eric Minix, 31, was killed in the line of duty after he was struck by an Alabama police officer’s vehicle as he got out of his own patrol car following a high-speed pursuit that crossed the state line.
Minix had been involved in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85.
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