A man trying to flee Dunwoody police was fired upon in a shopping center parking lot after he recklessly attempted to drive off when confronted by officers Friday afternoon.
Police arrested Robert Goodman, 20, of Atlanta, and charged him theft by receiving, aggravated assault against an officer and hit and run, among other counts. No injuries were reported in the incident, which happened around 3:15 p.m.
Shoppers reported Goodman’s suspicious behavior, according to witnesses. Police responded to a call for a possible auto theft in progress, according to a Dunwoody police incident report.
“He just looked like he was up to no good,” Jason Ortiz, a witness, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Ortiz said he made eye contact with a man in the car next to his, and was surprised to see the man have a baby’s pacifier in his mouth. When police arrived, the man tried to flee, nearly hitting Ortiz.
“He came straight at me and I had to jump out of the way,” Ortiz said.
Cliff Pough, who called 911, said the man did not appear to have been harmed after wrecking his Dodge Intrepid, even though there was a bullet hole in his windshield. The car was marked by two bullet holes in the driver’s window and a fourth one in the widow to the backseat.
“They were right [to shoot],” Pough said. “He was spinning out of control.”
Pough said Goodman was getting in and out of his car in the parking lot located at 120 Perimeter Center West, near Perimeter Mall.
The man attempted to speed off when an officer tapped on his window, witnesses said. He slammed into a parked Pontiac and then into a SUV. Pough said the Intrepid backed up and hit a stopped patrol car, even thought he officer was out with his gun drawn.
Lisa Spires had just taken her 3-year-old son out of her car when the the chaos started.
“You didn’t expect Friday afternoon to happen like this,” Spires said. “The cars, the gunfire, the crash. I was running away.”
Goodman remained in the DeKalb County jail Sunday. Bond was set at $4,500.
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