MORGAN COUNTY, Ga. — A 19-year-old South Carolina man is in the hospital after investigators say he opened fire on a deputy and state trooper following a chase through two counties.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has taken over the officer-involved shooting portion of the investigation after being called in by the Morgan County Sheriff's Office - though the shooting itself involved a Greene County deputy.
According to a statement from the GBI, the incident began just before noon on Friday when a Greene County deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding. The pursuit continued into Morgan County where a Georgia State Trooper joined in to assist.
That chase continued west on I-20 with the suspect, later identified as 19-year-old Aaron Lamont Jenkins, running one Greene County deputy off the road and hitting another deputy's vehicle.
The GBI reports that the chase itself came to an end after a PIT maneuver by the state trooper. However, investigators said that Jenkins refused to show his hands. At this point, both the deputy and the trooper noticed that Jenkins had a gun.
Jenkins reportedly fired a shot and the deputy and trooper returned fire striking him. He was taken to Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital for treatment and is said to be stable, though his specific condition wasn't released.
Once released into the custody of the Morgan County Jail, he will be charged with one count each of aggravated assault against a police officer and felony obstruction.
The GBI reports no officers were injured.
This chase was one of two that occurred in Morgan County on Saturday. Less than an hour earlier, a chase that began in another neighboring county, Walton, entered Morgan County. In this case, a Morgan County deputy did get involved attempting to stop the vehicle after Walton County deputies ended their pursuit at the county line.
The vehicle in this case ultimately wrecked in the area of Atlanta Highway and Brownwood Road and this driver was also taken to Piedmont Athens Regional for treatment of minor injuries. Charges are pending.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said the second chase entered the county while investigators were still at the scene of the first one.