A man will spend the next 18 years in prison after being convicted of firing an assault-style rifle at a Georgia State Patrol trooper while fleeing a traffic stop, according to a North Georgia district attorney.
Timothy Carruth, 25, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the gunfire exchange, which led to a manhunt across east Georgia in January 2020, according to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Carruth had been released from prison just months prior to the incident, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. He was released on parole in October 2019 after serving time for aggravated assault, fleeing police and reckless driving, GDC records show.
“Because of his substantial criminal history, we insisted that he be sentenced as a recidivist,” said Parks White, the district attorney for Elbert, Hart, Franklin, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.
The shooting and subsequent manhunt started with a traffic stop on Ga. 72 near Meadow Lane in Madison County. A GSP trooper used his patrol car to disable Carruth’s vehicle when he sped away from the attempted stop on Jan. 22, 2020, officials said.
Carruth’s Toyota Camry became stuck in a ditch following the PIT maneuver, White said.
The trooper tried to get Carruth to get out of the vehicle with his hands raised, according to White. However, Carruth instead got out with an AK-47 and opened fire, officials said. He then ran into a nearby pasture and disappeared into some woods.
“The trooper was thankfully not hit, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI initiated a manhunt,” White said.
Carruth was apprehended about two hours later.
White said Carruth is not eligible for parole in his most recent conviction.
“Carruth had a long history of violent felony convictions in Athens, but had unfortunately never faced real justice,” White said. “He was given probation over and over, or very short custodial sentences.”
About the Author
