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College Park cop recovering after being run over by a car
A College Park police officer was badly injured after he chose to spare a teen suspect's life, even if it severely injured him.
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - The College Park police officer who was run over by a teenage driver along Sullivan Road on June 5 was at home recovering Wednesday.
Officer Ivory Morris survived the violent encounter with suspected car thieves but was badly injured.
"I sometimes have flashbacks of the whole situation and you know that pain of the car going over me comes right back. But mostly, what flashes is the kids, seeing their faces and remembering I was dealing with juveniles at the time," Morris said.
Investigator Morris was working an off-duty job in the area when he got an alert from a FLOCK camera about a stolen vehicle nearby. The driver took off when the officer spotted the SUV at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel. Morris approached the 15-year-old boy who was walking away from the car. That's when the vehicle returned, ran over the officer and teen, then took off.
Speaking from his hospital bed the day of the incident, Investigator Morris recounted the thoughts that raced through his head, why he chose not to use deadly force.
"You know, I was thinking when I was on top of that car, I had the other hand free to reach for the gun, but I said, ‘I don't want to pull it.’ It wasn't the use of force I was thinking they was somebody's kids," Morris said
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Officer recovering after being run over teenage car thief, police say
A College Park police officer is recovering after a teenager, who was driving a stolen car, ran over him, investigators say. The officer says he had the opportunity to reach for his gun but decided not to.
While some question Morris' decision not to use force to stop the young suspect, he stands by his decision.
"It's a big thing to take a life. You got to think long and hard about it. You know a lot of people think I should have did something different, but until they are in that situation where they have to take a life, you know they might make the same choice," Morris said.
Now recovering at home, Investigator Morris faces another round of surgery and a long recovery. A colleague has started a GoFundMe account to help him while he works to get back on his feet.
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