A high-speed pursuit Sunday night along I-16 in Effingham County ended with a crash and an exchange of gunfire with deputies, resulting in the death of a suspect, authorities said.
Police shut down the interstate for several miles in both directions while they investigated overnight. Independence Day travelers making their way to Georgia’s beaches had to reroute or spend the night on the interstate as a several-mile stretch didn’t reopen until well after daybreak Monday.
The incident started around 11:30 p.m. Sunday when a deputy pulled over a black truck along Old River Road, according to the GBI, which is investigating the incident. The driver, identified as 40-year-old Sam Knight of Brooklet, got out of the truck and spoke with the deputy. But when the deputy walked to the truck’s passenger side, Knight ran to the driver’s side, got in and sped away, the GBI said.
The ensuing pursuit ended up on I-16 and continued west as Knight began firing at the deputy, who returned fire, the GBI said.
At some point, Knight lost control of the truck and crashed, with it coming to a rest on its passenger side, according to the GBI. There was another exchange of gunfire, and Knight was hit multiple times. He died at the scene.
No deputies were injured, state and local authorities said.
It was not clear where the crash took place, but the interstate was shut down in both directions between Old River Road and U.S. 280, according to the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted in the pursuit. It remained closed until 8 a.m.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once completed, it will turn over its findings to the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
The incident was the 48th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year, a drastic decrease from the same time last year when there had been 66.
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