Deputy dragged as suspect drives off

A Clayton County sheriff’s deputy dangled from the side of a suspect’s car and was dragged about 40 yards after he tried to arrest a College Park man Thursday, a department spokeswoman said.

The deputy was not injured.

The suspect, Reshaun Dondul Smith, 25, was last seen about 1 p.m. Thursday as he ducked into an apartment at the Dahlridge Townhomes on Flat Shoals Road in College Park, Clayton sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Sonja Sanchez said. Deputies said the suspect left his crashed car and a gun outside the apartment complex.

Deputy John Strutko stopped Smith on Riverdale Road for a traffic violation. Smith indicated he had a gun and began to reach toward the back seat, Sanchez said. When the deputy reached into the car to grab Smith’s arm, the suspect sped off, she said.

Smith’s car crashed into the front of the apartment complex and he ran away, authorities said. Deputies said they lost sight of the suspect after he broke into an apartment. Deputies searched the area, but could not find Smith.

Smith is being sought on 13 different charges, including aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and marijuana possession, Sanchez said. Anyone with information about Smith’s whereabouts is urged to call the sheriff’s department at 770-477-4480 or call 911.