Officer shoots, kills suspect after chase

ATLANTA — A man was shot and killed Saturday by a Georgia State Patrol trooper following a police chase through southwest Atlanta, authorities said.

The man allegedly stole a van and tried to use it to run down a trooper on foot, State Patrol spokesman Lt. Paul Cosper said.

The chase began around 4 p.m. near Langford Parkway and I-85 when a trooper saw a van that had been reported stolen. The driver refused to stop when the trooper tried to pull him over, and the pursuit began, Cosper said.

The van was forced off the road near Bagwell Drive and Park Way, about two miles from Langford, and the trooper approached the vehicle to arrest the driver, he said.

“Initial indication is that driver of the stolen vehicle attempted to strike the trooper with the car, forcing the trooper to fire in self-defense,” Cosper said.

The driver was fatally wounded. Authorities would not identify him late Saturday night.

Cosper said the trooper and an adult female passenger in the stolen van were not injured. The trooper has been placed on administrative leave as part of standard procedure. The passenger was being questioned by police Saturday night and was not expected to be charged.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has joined the State Patrol in investigating the incident. The suspect’s body has been taken to the Georgia Crime Lab to be identified, Cosper said.