Multi-county crime spree: Driver sets fire, tries to run deputy over, leads officials on chase

CLEVELAND, Ga. - There's more to the story on the wild chase a suspect led White County law enforcement on Saturday morning. Now, Habersham County officials say he ran amok in their jurisdiction first.

According to the Habersham County Sheriff's Office, 53-year-old Alan Paul Heinze of Cleveland began his Saturday morning breaking into a shop located on the property of 562 Sutton Road. They said he stole multiple items, loaded them into his Penske box truck and then set a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck there on fire before leaving.

That's where White County deputies pick up the story. At 11 a.m., deputies in Cleveland noticed the truck driving down Highway 115 East with several household items, including furniture, spilling out the back.

"He ended up dumping about half of his load down the side of the road," Investigator George Cason with the Habersham County Sheriff's Office told FOX 5.

It's not clear whether the White County officials knew about the aforementioned incident in Habersham County, but they told the media they tried to get the driver's attention. Heinze refused to stop and led them on a chase instead.

Twice during the pursuit, officials say he grew violent, ramming into a patrol car and trying to run over a deputy.

They told the press they tried several PIT maneuvers and even fired shots to disable the driver, but weren't successful. Heinze was hit in the arm, but kept going.

Eventually, the Cleveland Police Department joined the pursuit. Together, the police and deputies were able to wreck the suspect's truck in the parking lot of Jack P. Nix Elementary School.

(Credit: White County Sheriff's Office)

Heinze was arrested and taken to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center for his injuries. None of the officers involved were injured.

In White County, Heinze faces a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer. Habersham County officials say he has also been charged with burglary, arson and driving with an unsecured load.

"The State Fire Marshal’s Office is out here doing their investigation," said Habersham County Sheriff’s Investigator George Cason. "They’re actually going to be taking the charges of arson in the second degree for the burning of the truck, which actually inevitably entailed where the suspect ended up coming up here in a box truck, caused the damage to the truck after doing all his nefarious crimes here."

Habersham County firefighters check the engine compartment of the burning truck on Sutton Road in the Fairview community. (Credit: Habersham County photo/Rob Moore)

An investigator from Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King's Fire Investigations Unit is looking into the arson. The Habersham County Sheriff's Office is investigating the burglary. The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the car crashes, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations is looking into the shooting, as is standard practice when an officer in Georgia is involved in gunfire.