Car theft suspect died after police shooting in Cobb County

AUSTELL, Ga. - A car theft suspect who was initially rushed to an area hospital after an overnight shooting involving Cobb County police has died.

At around 11:20 p.m. Monday, officers spotted a car that had been stolen from another metro area jurisdiction near the intersection of South Service Road and Riverside Parkway. 

Police tried to pull over the car, which had three men inside, but the driver sped off. As he was trying to escape the driver hit a Cobb County police cruiser.

The chase went a short way down Riverside Parkway and ended in an office parking lot. 

Cobb Police Chief Tim Cox said his officer approached the car. That's when a man got out, armed with a gun. The chief said the man then pointed the weapon at the officers, one of whom responded by firing at the suspect. 

The officer rendered aid to the injured man until paramedics arrived at the scene. They rushed the injured suspect to the hospital, where at last check he was in critical condition. The GBI said he died Tuesday afternoon. An autopsy will be performed Wednesday by the Cobb County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The driver was later identified by authorities as Demario Truitt, 17, of Atlanta.

The other two suspects, described as being a 17-year-old on an outstanding arrest warrant and a 15-year-old, were taken into custody.

The case has been turned over the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which will interview both the officers and the suspects.