After a nearly 24-hour manhunt, three men who allegedly fired shots at a Georgia State Patrol trooper during a chase were arrested Monday, authorities said.
One suspect was caught around noon and the other two around 5 p.m., the GSP said.
The incident began Sunday afternoon when a lookout was posted for a Honda Civic whose occupants had allegedly shot at another vehicle on I-75 in Bartow County, Lt. Paul Cosper with the GSP said in a news release.
The trooper saw the vehicle on Ga. 20 and pursued it, trying to get the driver to pull over. Shots were fired at the patrol car during the chase, Cosper said.
The suspects jumped out of the car at Woodall Road and Upper Sweetwater Trail, near the Cherokee/Bartow county line, "but not before firing on the trooper again, at which point he returned fire," State Patrol Capt. Joe Hamby told Channel 2 Action News.
The trooper was not injured in the exchange of gunfire.
Troopers, bolstered by officers from nearby sheriff's and police departments, helicopters and K-9 units, searched a heavily wooded area through the night for the suspects, who were captured Monday.
Arturo Ramires, Salvado Vera and Edgar Ortega are in the Cherokee County Detention Center and will be charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and traffic offenses, authorities said.
Police believe all three are illegal immigrants, Channel 2 reported.
About the Author
