Atlanta-area police shoot dead wanted man driving Maserati

(Reuters) - A man who hopped into a Maserati on Tuesday to flee from police seeking to arrest him at his Atlanta-area workplace for a probation violation was shot dead when officers fired at him, authorities said. The man, who authorities have not named, was shot outside a shopping center where officers with the Smyrna Police Department, assisted by officers from the Cobb County Police Department, had come to arrest him, Cobb County Police Department spokesman Sergeant Dana Pierce said. He got into the high-end car and started driving off before heading toward the officers and forcing them to take "defensive actions," Pierce said. None of the Cobb County officers fired at the man, Pierce said. It was not immediately clear how many officers opened fire. A spokesman for the Smyrna Police Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Television images showed police officers surrounding a white car with a shattered rear window and what appeared to be several bullet holes in the side windows. It was not clear whether the suspect owned the car. (Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in New Orleans. Editing by Andre Grenon)