Man Sentenced In Shooting That Injured Police Sergeant In Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to 110 years in connection with a high-speed police chase and crash that left a police sergeant seriously injured in Gwinnett County, prosecutors said Tuesday.

A judge recently handed down the sentence to Florida resident James Edward Perkins, who was additionally accused of driving a stolen vehicle during the incident that occurred more than four years ago, the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office said.

Gwinnett County Police responded to reports of a stolen vehicle on June 10, 2022 in a shopping center parking lot in Duluth, prosecutors said.

When officers arrived, they saw Perkins walking toward the vehicle. Prosecutors said that is when the officers parked their patrol cars to block the vehicle.

Perkins rejected commands to surrender, and an officer then tased him, prosecutors said. They added Perkins then got into the vehicle and hit squad cars and other parked cars while fleeing.

A high-speed police chase then ensued throughout the county, spanning about 30 minutes and surpassing 80 mph at times, prosecutors said.

GCPD's Aviation Unit was able to track Perkins' location. He had crashed the vehicle into a fence near a Lawrenceville apartment complex's leasing office and claimed to have a bomb when officers began surrounding him, prosecutors said.

A sergeant with the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office and his K-9, who both responded as backup, approached the vehicle as Perkins attempted to back up the vehicle from the fence.

Prosecutors said Perkins then shot at the sergeant and other surrounding officers, hitting the sergeant in the shoulder.

At the trial, the sergeant testified the bullet went into his shoulder and exited near the base of his neck, only missing his spine by centimeters, prosecutors said.

It took a jury less than two hours to find Perkins guilty of all charges, which were as follows: five counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, theft by receiving a stolen vehicle, theft by receiving a stolen firearm, interference with government property, criminal damage to government property, fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, criminal use of an article with an altered identification mark and terroristic threats.

Perkins was sentenced to 110 years, 60 of which he must serve in prison.

“We are grateful that (the sergeant) survived this incident and is back in good health,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release. “Every day, the men and women of our law enforcement agencies put their lives on the line to keep Gwinnett County safe. This verdict sends a message that when you decide to come against the folks that are charged with safety in our community, we will take it very seriously, and we will prevail.”