Driver of stolen tractor-trailer shot by deputies during high-speed chase arrested
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - The driver of a stolen tractor-trailer was shot by pursing law enforcement officials during a high-speed chase along Interstate 85 in Coweta County after deputies said he used the big rig to target other vehicles.
Bobby Gene Ingram, 56, was identified as the driver. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Ingram was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was later released and taken to the Coweta County Jail, authorities said Wednesday.
Traffic was completely shut down along Interstate 85 near Sharpsburg McCollum Road for about three hours after the incident as investigators recorded the scene and worked to clear the roadway. Several lanes remained closed through the 6 p.m. hour, but the incident has since been cleared.
Several lanes of traffic along Interstate 85 near Sharpsburg McCollum Road was shut down for at least six hours after the incident as investigators recorded the scene and worked to clear the roadway.
SUSPECT SHOT AFTER FIGHTING WITH STEPHENS COUNTY DEPUTY FOR GUN, GBI SAYS
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office got a 911 call around 12:25 p.m. reporting a stolen tractor-trailer out of Forest Park. That stolen truck was being tracked electronically along I-85 through Newnan.
Deputies were able to catch up with the tractor-trailer and tried to perform a traffic stop, but investigators said the driver kept going. Deputies gave chase.
Ingram was able to avoid spike strips to disable the truck, the GBI said. The pursuit turned even more dangerous when the GBI said Ingram swerved to strike multiple innocent drivers on the highway and eventually hit a deputy’s truck.
"Due to the immediate threat of life to civilians and law enforcement personnel, CCSO Deputies used deadly force during the chase to disable the vehicle," a sheriff's office spokesperson said.
Police investigate a stolen tractor-trailer on Feb. 15 on Interstate 85 in Coweta County.
The GBI said a deputy pulled up beside the truck and fired his handgun, strike Ingram multiple times.
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office requested the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's assistance.
This is the 13th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate in 2022. The result will be turned over to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
Georgia State Patrol said troopers are investigating the crash, which aloes involved a Coweta County Sheriff's Office vehicle.
Anyone with information about this case is being asked to call the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Regional Investigative Office in Columbus (Region 2) at (706) 565-7888 or anonymously at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477),
Full bodycam video of chase involving U-Haul that ends with driver being shot
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office released this 31-minute video recorded on a deputy's bodycam showing a chase involving a U-Haul truck on Oct. 11, 2020. Investigators said Jackie Harris was shot three times at the end of the chase near Interstate 85 near the Bullsboro Blvd. exit. He suffered a spinal cord injury. The GBI investigated the use of force and turned over its findings to the district attorney. Prosecutors determined the use of force was justified. This is the full video released by the Coweta County Sheriff's Office on Oct. 5, 2021. Some may find this video disturbing to watch.
This is not the first time the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office has had to use deadly force to end a police chase. A dangerous high-speed chase involving a U-Haul truck in October 2020 forced a deputy to open fire on that driver. The driver there also tried to ram several vehicles during the pursuit.
The driver, later identified by investigators as Jackie Harris, suffered three gunshot wounds with one bullet striking his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed. Harris admitted to paramedics that he took an "8 ball" just before the chase and was intoxicated. Deputies said they found a small amount of cocaine in his pockets.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to review the deadly use of force. The agency turned its findings over to the district attorney who believed the shooting was justifiable.