Sept. 8 (UPI) — Authorities in Georgia have launched a manhunt for two men sought in connection to the shooting of a sheriff’s deputy.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement it has issued a Blue Alert for the capture of Texas fugitive Dalton Potter, 29, who is accused of shooting a sheriff’s deputy during a routine traffic stop.
According to preliminary information, Potter was driving a stolen trailer in Dalton, about 90 miles northwest of Atlanta, when he was pulled over by Whitfield County Sheriff’s deputies.
Potter then opened fire from inside the vehicle, striking Deputy Darrell Hackney in his ballistic vest before driving away as a second officer returned fire. Hackney was uninjured, the GBI statement said.
The trailer was found later wrecked on I-75 South near the Whitfield-Gordon County line, authorities said, adding that Potter is believed to have escaped into the woods on foot.
“Potter is considered armed and dangerous,” the GBI said.
Later on Monday, the GBI identified Texas fugitive Jonathan Hosmer, 47, as a second suspect in the shooting, saying he was captured on a home surveillance system near the wrecked trailer. It is unclear if he was also in the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Potter has been charged with aggravated assault of a deputy while charges for Hosmer are still pending, authorities said.
