A man riding a bicycle was hit and significantly injured by a northwest Georgia police officer early Thursday at the intersection of Thornton Avenue and Cuyler Street.

Officer Allexis Rittenhouse, 23, was traveling north on Thornton Avenue when the eastbound bicycle crossed the road and was hit just before 12:50 a.m., authorities said.

“Preliminary indications are that the officer had a green light and the pedestrian was crossing on a red light,” Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier said.

Earnest Harry Cooper, 54, of Dalton, was taken to Hamilton Medical Center with significant injuries.

The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.

No other details were released.

Dalton is about 90 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A bus waits to move over 20 unhoused persons from the Old Wheat Street encampment to the Welcome House, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC