Atlanta police officers were still searching Friday for a man accused of running over another officer and then driving away.
After hitting the officer, Khalif Edwards drove away in a gold Honda Accord with two children, ages 1 and 2 inside. The car was found about two hours later, near the intersection of I-20 and Gresham Road, Carlos Campos, police spokesman told the AJC. The children were also found safe. But so far, Edwards, 29, has eluded capture.
The officer, Investigator Patrick Apoian, a nine-year veteran with the Atlanta Police Department, will require further treatment as a result of the serious injuries he sustained in the incident Thursday evening, police said.
The incident happened near the intersection of College and Sisson avenues in northeast Atlanta, Officer John Chafee said.
Apoian was attempting to talk to Edwards when he got into an altercation with the driver, Chafee said. A woman identified as the children's mother was in the car at the time, but was not in the car when Edwards left the scene, police said. That woman, whose name has not been released, has not been charged and is cooperating with police.
Once arrested, Edwards, of Decatur, will face numerous charges, including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, simple battery, obstruction of a law enforcement officer and cruelty to children, police said. Edwards has a prior arrest record.
Apoian was run over, but was alert while being transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment of leg and chest injuries. He was in stable condition Thursday night and is expected to survive his injuries, police said.
"The Atlanta Police Department is hoping for and expecting a full recovery," spokesman Carlos Campos said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Apoian is known in the East Lake and Kirkwood neighborhoods for his work organizing a security patrol, residents there told the AJC. News of Apoian's injuries spread quickly through the in-town communities, where the officer worked a second job.
“He has appeared before our neighborhood association a number of times," Doug Williams, founder of the East Lake Farmers Market, told the AJC. "He’s everything you want in a neighborhood police officer. He really works to make things better, and he's earned a very beloved status."
Williams plans to take up a collection Saturday for Apoian at the market, located at the intersection of Second Avenue and Hosea L. Williams Drive, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Apoian is also the founder of Humble Heroes, an organization for police officers and firefighters in need. Rich Sullivan, an Atlanta deejay, told the AJC Apoian asked him to serve on the board for the organization.
"He has his hand up to help before it's even asked," Sullivan said. "He really, really cares about Atlanta, the community, and safety on our streets.”
Sullivan said Apoian was in good spirits Friday morning when he visited his friend in the hospital.
"If it were up to him, he'd be back to work Monday," Sullivan said.
Crime Stoppers Atlanta has increased the reward to $5,000 for the person responsible for Edwards' arrest and indictment, Campos said. Anyone with information is asked to call 404-577-TIPS (8477).
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