Alleged car thieves shot by Atlanta police identified

Atlanta police confirm two suspects were shot during a pursuit near University Ave. and I-75/85 Saturday afternoon.

Four Atlanta police officers shot at two people accused of stealing a car Saturday night, authorities said.

Officers in unmarked cars were following two cars they suspected were stolen, one of which was in the process of being reported stolen and the other had another car’s tag, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Sunday.

When an officer in a marked police car turned on the lights to make a traffic stop on one of the cars, the driver kept going down the exit ramp of I-75 onto University Avenue.

The driver struck several cars, nearly hitting an Atlanta police officer and crashed into a patrol car.

That’s when the four police officers fired at the car and hit the suspects, Michael Rhodes, 18, and Deondre Norris, 19. But they still refused to stop.

The car wrecked about one mile away at University Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway, but Rhodes and Norris continued running on foot.

When officers arrested the duo they were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition. No officers were injured in the incident.

The second car suspected of being stolen was stopped and two juveniles were arrested. A gun was recovered from that car, the GBI said.

The GBI will complete its investigation and turn the case over to the District Attorney’s Office.