DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A man who police said fired several shots at a DeKalb officer is now in custody, according to police.
The incident started when the officer stopped a suspicious red car about 1:30 a.m. at Hairston Park at the intersection of South Hairston Road and Mainstreet Park Drive, Lt. Lonzy Robertson said. The man and a woman were inside the vehicle.
Police later said that the man, Sharif Thompson, had a warrant for his arrest in New York.
The officer ran to catch up to the vehicle, and that’s when “the suspect got out of the vehicle and began firing on the officer,” Robertson said.
The officer returned fire and Thompson ran, Robertson said.
Thompson was gone by the time SWAT and crime scene investigators responded to the scene, but was later captured by police.
Police told Channel 2's Liz Artz Thompson held a homeowner hostage on the 4000 block of Autumn Circle after the shooting in DeKalb County.
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Robert Stevenson said he’s “happy to be alive” after being held captive in his own home.
“He kicked the back door in, tapped me on the shoulder and woke me up in my sleep with a pistol in may face,” Stevenson said.
The homeowner said the suspect was trying to hide from police.
“He was scared because he thought he shot the police,” Stevenson said. “(He said), ‘I’m not here to hurt you. I mean you no harm. I’ve got to hide somewhere for right now.'”
Stevenson said police tracked Thompson to his house, but didn’t realize he was inside.
“He was sitting, looking at him through my window. They were right in front of my window. You could see police out here. We could hear them talking,” he said.
He said he sat in the house with the suspect for six to eight hours until police moved on.
During that time, the homeowner said he tried to convince Thompson to turn himself in.
Stevenson said they talked about Thompson’s 5-year-old son.
“(I said), ‘If you turn yourself in, you have a chance at seeing your son again. If you go this route you may never make it to seeing him again,” he said.
He said Thompson instead chose to steal his car and run.
“He decided to take my car. He even told me he would text my friend on the phone and tell where he could pick my car up,” Stevenson said.
Police said they eventually found Thompson at an extended-stay hotel off of Memorial Drive.
“I had enough sense to keep his head cool so he’d get the hell out of there without hurting me. That’s all I was concerned about,” Stevenson said.
Police said Thompson will be charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. He faces a weapons charge here and will then be sent to New York for outstanding warrants.
Cox Media Group
