Clarke County deputy shoots robbery suspect during pursuit, GBI says
The GBI is investigating after a Clarke County sheriff’s deputy shot a robbery suspect near Athens on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Athens-Clarke police had responded to an armed robbery call just before 2:30 p.m. at a Cricket Wireless store in the 400 block of North Avenue. The area is a busy commercial corridor about 1½ miles north of the University of Georgia campus.
After officers responded, the suspects’ car was identified and quickly located on Commerce Road, leading to a chase, the GBI said. Deputies eventually joined the pursuit and were able to stop the car on Newton Bridge Road, police said.
The chase continued on foot after two suspects ran from the vehicle, according to officials, who identified one of them as 25-year-old Javious Mattox.
“While they were running, police saw a weapon on Mattox,” the GBI said. “One CCSO deputy fired, hitting Mattox.”
Mattox, of Athens, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the GBI. No officers were injured during the incident.
A police spokesperson said both men were taken into custody and that medical aid was rendered at one point, without elaborating. Two guns were found at the scene, police said.
After the investigation is completed, the GBI said it would give the case file to the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review. It was the fifth officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate in 2025. At the same time last year, the state agency had yet to investigate any such incidents.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Hovie Lister at 762-400-733 or hovie.lister@accgov.com. Tips can also be submitted directly to the GBI by calling 1-800-597-8477, online or by downloading the See Something, Say Something mobile app.
About the Author
Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.
