A 911 call about a man flashing a gun in a DeKalb County parking lot sparked a 10-mile pursuit and an exchange of gunfire with police that ended in a crash on I-285 West and brought traffic to a standstill Tuesday afternoon.
The GBI said Ahmad Sulaiman, 19, had a gun and was threatening people in the parking lot of a McDonald’s on Memorial Drive. The restaurant is about 10 miles northeast of the crash site, which was just past the I-285 West interchange with I-675.
The incident prompted dozens of law enforcement officers to respond and block the Perimeter’s westbound lanes from about 1:45 p.m. to just before 3 p.m., according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Two lanes on both sides of the interstate were closed until about 6 p.m.
Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation
Credit: Georgia Department of Transportation
The pursuit started when Sulaiman sped away from the fast-food restaurant as officers arrived, the GBI said. He hit several cars, including Avondale Estates police vehicles, in the process, officials said.
After pursuing Sulaiman onto I-285, an Avondale Estates officer attempted to stop the vehicle by using a PIT maneuver, or intentionally bumping the vehicle to spin it, according to the GBI. Police said the vehicle was stolen.
“Sulaiman and the officer (then) both shot at each other,” a spokesperson for the state agency said. “Neither the officer nor Sulaiman was hit, and the chase continued on I-285.”
In an earlier statement, Avondale Estates police Chief Harry Hess said the exchange of gunfire happened during the pursuit. The sergeant was placed on paid administrative leave, which is policy following an officer-involved shooting. No Avondale Estates police officers were injured during the incident, Hess said.
DeKalb police eventually stopped Sulaiman by using another PIT maneuver, which flipped the car, spokesperson Elise Wells told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Sulaiman was arrested and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said. The officer who conducted the final PIT maneuver was also taken to a hospital and has since been released, the GBI said.
Wells said another DeKalb officer was involved in a separate crash on the way to the scene. She was taken to a hospital and was said to be stable. No other DeKalb officers were hurt.
The GBI was requested to investigate by Avondale Estates police. Once the investigation is completed, the case file will be given to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office for review.
Sulaiman faces charges of felony fleeing and eluding and two counts of aggravated assault on an officer. He could face additional charges pending the investigation, police said.
» For updated traffic information, listen to News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and follow @wsbtraffic on X.
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