After police pulled over a 21-year-old man on Tuesday afternoon for traffic violations, he fled on foot, stabbed himself in the neck and chest and then attempted to stab officers, according to the Calhoun Police Department.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the man, identified as Steven Key, of Calhoun, is in stable condition at Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn, said Sharon Jolley, chief’s assistant at the Calhoun police department.
After Key tried attacking police, an officer fired a round from his service weapon, which disabled the suspect, and he was transported to the hospital by helicopter, police said in a press release.
Driving with a suspended license, Key was weaving between lanes on Highway 53 Spur near Yellow Jacket Drive in Calhoun, almost hitting a police vehicle head on, police said. When police tried pulling Key over at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, he proceeded onto Beamer Road, then turned and proceeded to a construction site near Georgia Northwest Technical College. He exited his car and fled on foot.
With the help of the Gordon County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, police located the suspect in a wooded area between Beamer Road and Harris Beamer Road, according to the press release. When officers moved toward him, he started stabbing himself.
Key is charged with failure to maintain lanes, obstruction of an officer and driving with a suspended license.
Back in November, Jolley said, Key had been charged with fraud, criminal trespass and another felony charge, but he was released on bond and placed on parole. Jolley said she doesn’t understand why he got out, given he had also just been released from prison in October.
“All of that was prior to all that happened yesterday.”
Because Key has been placed under arrest, a city police officer is sitting with him and guarding the room where he is hospitalized, until officials from the State Pardon and Parole Board take over, Jolley said.
“That’s what happens when someone who has just been paroled violates the law this badly,” Jolley said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.
About the Author
