Cops: Driver in custody after ramming police car during traffic stop on I-20

An officer pulled over the driver after discovering the man had a warrant out for his arrest.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

An officer pulled over the driver after discovering the man had a warrant out for his arrest.

An Atlanta man is in custody after allegedly ramming a police car with his own car during a traffic stop in DeKalb County.

The incident happened just before 9 a.m. Thursday on I-20 West near Candler Road, according to DeKalb police spokesman Sgt. J.D. Spencer. An HOV lane and one left lane of I-20 were closed while police were on the scene.

An officer stopped 35-year-old Roger Keith Ray on a speeding violation, according to an incident report obtained by AJC.com. After running a query on Ray’s license, the officer discovered the man had a warrant out for his arrest on an aggravated assault charge out of Gwinnett County, the report said.

The officer at the scene called other units, and together the officers boxed in the driver’s car, according to the incident report. The driver then put his car into reverse and began ramming the police car parked behind him, police said.

An officer pulled out his weapon and pointed it at Ray. When the officer tried to get control of Ray’s car, the suspect grabbed the officer’s gun, according to the incident report.

The officer “attempted to discharge his weapon at Mr. Ray when the weapon had a malfunction and failed to fire,” police said in the report.

Police continued to struggle Ray, and an officer pulled out his stun gun and discharged it. Ray was then taken into custody. Later, he was taken to a hospital to have the Taser darts removed, according to the report.

He is being held in the DeKalb County Jail on charges of speeding, reckless conduct and obstruction, records show.

Two officers received minor injuries, the report said.

An investigation is ongoing.

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