Go. Deputy injured, K-9 killed in shootout after high-speed chase

By means of Rosana Hughes

Source The Atlanta Journal Constitution

A high-speed chase in Coweta County ended with a crash that injured a deputy and killed his police dog, according to authorities, who were still on the scene Thursday morning.

The incident began Wednesday around 11 p.m. with an attempted traffic stop of a Chrysler 300 on US 29 near Tommy Lee Cook Road. The driver did not stop and a pursuit ensued that continued into Fulton County and reached speeds of 110 miles per hour, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.

The pursuing deputy eventually performed a precision immobilization technique known as a PIT maneuver, to end the chase by crashing the driver and then deploying K-9 Officer Titan to assist in apprehending the driver, officials said. That’s when the driver opened fire on the deputy and the dog, hitting Titan multiple times. The deputy returned fire and killed the suspect, whose name has not been released.

K-9 Titan was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy was also struck several times, but the injuries were abrasions, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to a hospital and has since been released.

“He should make a full recovery,” the sheriff’s office said. “K-9 Titan served with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office for more than five years. During his time, Titan has successfully located several missing persons, successfully identified illegal narcotics, and assisted in the successful apprehension of multiple perpetrators.”

The GBI has been asked to investigate the shooting. The agency did not release any information early Thursday morning.

In January, 31-year-old Coweta County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Minix was killed in the line of duty after he was struck by an Alabama police officer’s vehicle as he exited his own patrol car following a high-speed chase that crossed the state line.

Minix had been involved in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle on I-85.

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