Officers from at least seven metro Atlanta agencies descended on the area surrounding Northlake Mall on Tuesday morning after a Chamblee police officer was wounded in a shooting.
One suspect was arrested soon after the incident, police said, but it took a massive search effort and more than 12 hours to locate a second suspect accused of shooting the officer. Oscar Arreola, 31, was arrested and faces a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer.
The officer, whose name was not released, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according to Chamblee police. Late into Tuesday afternoon, officers combed the neighborhoods surrounding the mall to search for Arreola.
He was one of two people being pursued by Chamblee police early Tuesday, Capt. Chris Findley said. Around midnight, Chamblee’s traffic camera system notified officers of a stolen vehicle used in an armed robbery passing through the city. They attempted to stop it shortly before 12:30 a.m.
The driver sped away, kicking off a chase, before eventually crashing near the intersection of Briarcliff Road and Briarcliff Way, according to Findley.
“Both suspects fled the vehicle, and the passenger of the vehicle returned fire on our first responding officer,” he said. “Shot his car multiple times, and he was hit one time.”
The first suspect was apprehended after he was spotted lying on the side of the road, trying to hide, according to state Rep. Scott Holcomb, who lives in the Northlake area and witnessed the arrest. Police confirmed that suspect was believed to be the driver and did not fire on police.
His name was not released, and it was unclear what charges he would face.
Holcomb said he heard a series of about 10 gunshots outside his home around 12:50 a.m. During the search, he and his neighbors were asked to stay inside and alert police of any suspicious activity. Officers spent the morning exploring yards and checking inside vehicles, he said.
The effort shut down several residential roads and the busy intersection of Briarcliff and Henderson Mill roads outside the entrance to the mall, where DeKalb County and Chamblee police set up a command post. They were aided by a helicopter, K-9 units and the North Metro SWAT team.
Schools in the area operated as normal Tuesday, with an enhanced police presence on campus and added patrols, according to the DeKalb County School District.
Police did not say where or when they located Arreola, who was booked into the DeKalb jail late Tuesday night. He is being held without bond.
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