Man attacked Dalton officer, stole Taser before being shot, GBI says

The man is accused of attacking a Dalton police officer, stealing his Taser and trying to use it on him.

The man is accused of attacking a Dalton police officer, stealing his Taser and trying to use it on him.

An “agitated” man is accused of attacking a Dalton police officer, stealing his Taser and trying to use it on him before being shot, authorities said.

About 9 a.m. Monday, officers responded to calls of a man stopping cars on Abutment Road and Callahan Road and running into the streets, the GBI said in a news release. The man was identified as David Schmitt, 32, of Dalton.

As the officer approached Schmitt, he allegedly attacked the officer. The officer used his Taser on Schmitt, but the suspect ended up getting the Taser and trying to use it on the officer, the GBI said.

The incident took place in the roadway in front of Sonoco, a global packaging company that is located in the 2500 block of Abutment Road, according to Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier.

Schmitt then tried to charge at the officer, which is when the officer shot several times, the GBI said. It’s unclear how many times Schmitt was shot, but he was taken to Hamilton Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The officer involved suffered minor injuries, the GBI said.

This is the 45th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been called to investigate this year.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also tracks officer-involved shootings that don't involve the GBI, and those numbers sometimes differ from the agency’s tally.

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