ATLANTA — A Georgia State Patrol trooper encountered a man driving dangerously in Atlanta, and the whole confrontation was caught on camera.
This video shows a Georgia State Patrol car nose to nose with a maroon sedan, driven by someone believed to be a teenager.
The trooper in the patrol car has his weapon drawn and can be heard telling the driver to turn the car off. The driver is not following those directions and keeps pushing his patrol car. The trooper can then be seen pushing the sedan into some bushes. The trooper still has his gun in hand when the driver bolts through the parking lot and gets away.
Onlookers saw the ordeal, a scenario that rivals the make-believe situations of video games like Grand Theft Auto, unfold in front of them.
One spectator was able to capture the whole incident on video.
In a statement, GSP stated in part, “With the vehicle pinned in, the Trooper exited his patrol car and drew his firearm ordering the driver out of the car. The driver continued to drive forward pushing the Trooper’s patrol car backwards. The trooper was able to push the vehicle into a bush.”
The video does show that the trooper never fired his weapon.
Channel 2′s Sophia Choi spoke with Atlantans who expressed mixed reactions to the video.
“To have a pistol drawn on a noncombatant in a sense. I mean, yes, he was using his vehicle. But again, they’re trained to avoid those type of things,” said a concerned resident only identified as Andre.
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There are residents who had different opinions of how things were handled.
“The officer didn’t fire the weapon. But of course, he was in fear for his life because he don’t know what’s going on with the other car. You have to respect the law if you want the law to respect you,” said resident Redd Salley.
GSP stated it has identified the driver and that warrants will be filed.
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