Chase through Polk, Haralson ends in officer-involved shooting
GBI investigating incident that left the driver of a truck in critical condition
A high-speed chase that started in Polk County on Saturday ended in an officer-involved shooting that left the driver of the vehicle in critical condition, according to several law enforcement agencies.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Willie Lee Austin, 30, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, was recovering Sunday morning after he was shot in the aftermath of the chase that involved the Georgia State Patrol, Polk County Police and Haralson County Sheriff’s deputies.
According to Polk County Police, a call into Polk 911 had reported a truck driving erratically on U.S. 278 southwest of Cedartown on Saturday afternoon. An officer spotted the truck driven by Austin and attempted to conduct a traffic stop when the truck fled and attempted to elude the officer.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Polk County Police notified the GSP at 2:47 p.m. that they were involved in a vehicle pursuit on U.S. 27 traveling south approaching the Haralson County line and requested assistance.
GSP troopers encountered the chase on U.S. 27 and took over as the primary units in the pursuit with the truck continuing to flee. After entering Haralson County, a trooper successfully performed a PIT maneuver to end the pursuit.
While troopers and Haralson County deputies approached the truck, the preliminary GBI investigation shows that the truck accelerated towards a trooper and a deputy. A trooper and a deputy then fired into the truck, hitting Austin.
Austin was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. No officers were injured during the pursuit or in the shooting. A woman who was a passenger in the truck was not injured during the incident.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the casefile will be provided to the Haralson County District Attorney’s Office for review.
This is the 95th officer involved shooting the GBI has been requested to investigate in 2021.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Office of Professional Standards is conducting an internal investigation since Georgia State Patrol troopers were involved in the incident.