A hit-and-run suspect who allegedly fired at Gwinnett County police following a crash was found dead in Lake Lanier, authorities said.
Officers began searching for the man about 4:15 p.m. Friday after a wreck involving a stolen car, Gwinnett police said in a news release. The incident occurred at the intersection of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Shadburn Ferry Road in Buford.
Active Investigation: Peachtree Industrial Blvd at Shadburn Ferry Rd, Buford. One of the drivers in this collision fled with a rifle. Officers have saturated the area looking for the subject. pic.twitter.com/EDkEXYaBiT
— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) February 21, 2020
The man, identified by the GBI as 26-year-old John James Monahan Jr. of Ellabell in Bryan County, used an AK-style rifle to carjack another driver who was involved in the wreck, authorities said.
The deceased subject in yesterday’s OIS involving Gwinnett Police has been identified as John James Monahan Jr., 26, of Ellabell, GA. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning. pic.twitter.com/TzddfXOjiZ
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) February 22, 2020
“After the collision, the suspect fled the scene with a rifle,” Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said. “There are reports that he discharged his firearm at responding officers as they tried to catch up to him.”
We’ve learned a man who fled this accident scene in Gwinnett County with a rifle, then carjacked someone and drove that car to Lake Lanier. That’s where police eventually fired on the man before his car sank to the bottom of the lake. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/Cpk0xbATUh
— Justin Wilfon (@JustinWilfonWSB) February 21, 2020
Officers followed him into Shoal Creek Park, where Monahan eventually drove into Lake Lanier, the release said.
That’s when he began to fire at officers, police said. A patrol car was hit several times by gunfire, but no officers were injured. Police returned fire before the car sank to the bottom with the suspect still inside.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office’s dive team found a body in the area near the vehicle, the release said.
The GBI was contacted to investigate the officer-involved shooting, making this the 18th such investigation the agency has opened this year.
Monahan’s autopsy is scheduled for Monday morning, authorities said.
This is the 18th OIS that the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2020. https://t.co/JXGKgGNvKh
— Nelly Miles (@NMilesGBIPIO) February 22, 2020
The 17th officer-involved shooting investigation was launched Thursday after DeKalb County police shot and killed a 75-year-old man who refused to drop a weapon outside his home, the GBI said.
MORE: GBI ID's man who was shot, killed outside home during confrontation with DeKalb cops
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