An off-duty Atlanta police officer fired his service weapon at an armed suspect Monday evening during an encounter that ended with the suspect’s arrest and no serious injuries, authorities said.
After a chase on foot in downtown Atlanta, the suspect suffered a scrape when he was placed under arrest, police said. No one was hit during the shooting, and the suspect was treated at the scene.
The incident began just after 5 p.m. outside of the Five Points MARTA Station at 20 Broad Street SW, police said. The off-duty officer encountered the suspect, who was also allegedly armed with a gun, while working another job. Officials did not share any information about the encounter or how it escalated to gunfire, but after the officer fired his weapon, the suspect fled.
No further information was released about the incident, and police did not say if the GBI would investigate the incident. This was the third shooting involving law enforcement in metro Atlanta in about 24 hours.
Just a few hours earlier, an armed suspect opened fire on deputies at the Gwinnett County Jail, the GBI confirmed.
According to Gwinnett Sheriff Keybo Taylor, deputies returned fire and hit the suspect, who was taken to the hospital. No deputies were hurt during the shooting.
The only fatal shooting happened late Sunday night.
A man was seen with a gun at the College Park MARTA Station around 7:40 p.m., the GBI said. A MARTA police officer who noticed the man began following him until the man turned around and reached for the weapon, according to the GBI. The officer shot the man, the state agency said, and the suspect was taken to the hospital where he later died. No officers were hurt during the incident.
The man has not been publicly identified.
