Man shot after threatening officers with machete, taking control of cruiser, GBI says

DOREAVILLE, Ga. - A man was shot by Doraville police after trying to escape a traffic stop by threatening officers with a machete and taking control of an officer's patrol car, state investigators say.

It happened just before noon on Thursday. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says officers with the Doraville Police Department attempted to pull over van driving along Chamblee Tucker Road near Interstate 85. The driver pulled off onto DeKalb Technology Parkway, where the GBI says officers tried to box the van.

The van was driven by Walfre Bautista Miranda, of Doraville, who the GBI says was wanted on active felony warrants.

Law enforcement at the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Doraville on Jan. 19, 2023.  (FOX 5 Atlanta)

Bautista Miranda attempted to ram patrol cars, but putting the van in reverse and then pulling forward, investigators say. When that did not work, the GBI says he got out of the van with a machete in his hand. He then advanced on officers, investigators say.

The 41-year-old man was able to then get into one of the officers' patrol cars, having access to all the weapons inside including the officer's issued rifle, the GBI says.

Law enforcement at the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Doraville on Jan. 19, 2023.  (FOX 5 Atlanta)

That is when the GBI says the officers shot Bautista Miranda. He was then taken into custody and rushed to an area hospital for treatment.

Online DeKalb County Jail records indicate he was arrested earlier this month on misdemeanor battery (FVA) charges. The charges on those outstanding felony warrants were not immediately released.

No officers were injured.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will handle the officer-involved shooting investigation. The results will be handed over to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office for review.

This is the eighth officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to independently review this year.