Austell police K-9 shot, suspect killed after chase in Douglasville
Apr. 18—A man fled a police checkpoint in Douglasville on Sunday, leading to a police chase that resulted in the shooting and injuring of a police K-9 dog and the death of the suspect, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Douglasville Police Department officers were conducting a driver's license and safety checkpoint on Chapel Hill Road near its interchange with Interstate 20 exit around 2:07 a.m., the GBI said.
While at the checkpoint, officers saw a vehicle try to avoid police. They began pursuing the vehicle, which then stopped. A male driver exited and ran away.
Police then set up a perimeter and requested assistance from the Austell Police Department's K-9 unit, the GBI said. During the search, the man was found, and an Austell officer exchanged fire with the suspect.
The Austell K-9, named Jerry Lee, was struck once in his front left leg. Austell police said in a Facebook post that Jerry Lee was shot by the suspect.
The man then ran along a wood line parallel to I-20.
Georgia State Patrol Aviation located the man in the woods near the 6800 block of Douglas Boulevard at approximately 5:08 a.m., the GBI said. Douglas County Sheriff's Office SWAT team members tried speaking with the man and "during their attempts they reported hearing a gunshot."
"Officers found the man with a gunshot wound and rendered medical aid," a GBI news release said. "A handgun was found near his body."
A GBI spokesperson said it was under investigation on if the man shot himself.
The man, who has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, was taken to Wellstar Douglas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the GBI said.
An autopsy will be performed by the GBI, which is conducting an independent investigation. Once completed, it will be turned over to the Douglas County District Attorney's Office for review.
Jerry Lee, the K-9, was transported to a veterinarian and is in stable condition. No other police were injured, the GBI said.
