Suspect in stolen car from Lumpkin fatally shot himself while fleeing authorities in North Hall

Sep. 23—A man suspected of stealing a car in Lumpkin County shot himself Thursday, Sept. 22, after Hall County authorities tracked him into the woods off Hubert Stephens Road, according to authorities.

Michael Lee Adams, 43, died after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Hall County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman B.J. Williams said Adams' last known address is Ellijay, though the Sheriff's Office is unsure where he was most recently living.

Hall County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman B.J. Williams said a lookout was put out for a stolen SUV, and the car was spotted by a camera that detects license plates. The Times has reached out to the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office for more information on the stolen car case.

A Hall County deputy started tracking the stolen SUV Thursday morning near Murrayville Park but lost track of it.

After searching the area, the deputy found the abandoned SUV at the end of Old Howser Mill Road, Williams said.

A K9 tracking team and other deputies were called to the area and started tracking the suspect down an ATV trail near a river, Williams said.

"Just as the K9 team approached, the suspect shot himself in the head," Williams wrote in an email.

Deputies rendered aid and called 911, leading Hall County medics to the scene.

Adams died at the hospital.

The investigation and rescue efforts closed a section of Hubert Stephens Road for roughly three hours Thursday.