A teenage boy has been arrested on several charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly shot at a west Georgia deputy during a pursuit last week, authorities said.
On Tuesday, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office released a portion of the wild chase, which appeared to show the 16-year-old firing a gun out of the driver’s-side window of the truck he allegedly stole from a married couple in nearby Heard County. Deputies said he unloaded nearly a half-dozen rounds, some of which struck the patrol vehicle.
“Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired!” a deputy was heard saying in the dashcam video from the incident. No injuries were reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, Deputy Archie Barber was in his patrol vehicle along Ga. 27 early Thursday when he stopped a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado that was allegedly speeding. Barber approached the truck but it took off, the sheriff’s office said, leading to a pursuit along several roads a few miles south of Carrollton. Soon after, the teenager pulled out a gun and opened fire, deputies said.
Barber continued following the teen, who drove north into Carrollton and eventually crashed in a ditch near the Soma Apartments on Hays Mill Road. He ran away, and a gun was found on the driver’s seat, according to the sheriff’s office.
Following an investigation, the teen was eventually taken into custody Friday, deputies said. He was identified as Damion King O’Neal Patterson.
“We are so grateful that Deputy Barber is OK. This incident just continues to shed light on the dangers of this job and the fact that nothing is ever ‘routine’ in this line of work,” the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. “A simple traffic stop can turn deadly in a matter of seconds, and thank God everyone went home whole this night.”
Deputies contacted the owner of the truck, who told them the vehicle was likely stolen while he and his wife were sleeping. A search of their property also found his wife’s vehicle was broken into and her handgun was missing, leading Patterson to face theft by receiving firearm charges.
He is also facing charges of reckless conduct, theft by receiving motor vehicle, fleeing and attempting to elude, reckless driving and speeding. Patterson will be tried in Carroll County Superior Court, the sheriff’s office said.
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