Man Shot By Cops After Stealing Police Car Indicted On Charges

WOODSTOCK, GA — A Cherokee County grand jury has indicted a Mississippi man accused of stealing a deputy's patrol vehicle and leading cops on a chase that ended with him being shot by officers near Woodstock. The grand jury on Feb. 12 indicted Lorenzo Leon Taylor on two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, attempted removal of weapon from public official and driving under the influence (less safe) of drugs.

The incident that led to the July 2016 chase and shooting began in Bartow County and propelled officials to call in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to handle the investigation into the events. According to the GBI, a deputy with the Bartow County Sheriff's Office initially responded to a call of a suspicious person in the vicinity of Arrington Road near Acworth. The deputy was able to track down the man, who was later identified as Taylor.

According to the GBI, a Bartow sheriff's deputy was interviewing Taylor when he was approached by a witness who wanted to provide more information about the call. While the deputy talked with the witness, Taylor allegedly climbed into the patrol vehicle and fled the scene. The witness, the GBI said at the time, "appears to be a valid witness" and had no connection to the suspect.

The vehicle, which included a rifle secured inside the car, was reported stolen around 7:30 p.m. July 16 by the deputy. Bartow deputies pursued the stolen car into Cobb and Cherokee counties where Cobb County police officers and Cherokee sheriff's deputies joined in the pursuit. Law enforcement deployed several tactics to stop the stolen patrol car, but those proved to be unsuccessful throughout the pursuit.

Officers were able to spin out the stolen patrol car around 8:20 p.m. on Highway 92 at Dixie Drive in Woodstock. That didn't stop Taylor, as he continued to evade capture and "drove around some officers and in the direction of others," the GBI said.

At that moment, Bartow sheriff's deputies fired shots at Taylor, who was struck twice. Officers were subsequently able to stop the car, and converged on the suspect who was inside the patrol vehicle (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here).

"As officers attempted to take Taylor into custody, he snatched one of the Bartow deputy's guns away from him," the GBI previously told Patch. "The officers tackled Taylor and tasered him, and eventually they were able to take the deputy's gun away from him."

No shots were fired during this scuffle, but one officer did suffer minor injuries during the pursuit.

Taylor, who was 32 at the time of his arrest, was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and later turned over to the Bartow County Sheriff's Office on charges in connection to stealing the patrol vehicle. The rifle inside the patrol vehicle remained secured throughout the chase, but the GBI said it appeared Taylor tried to remove the firearm.

Taylor, who court records show is representing himself, is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. March 6 in Courtroom 2D at the Frank C. Mills Justice Center in downtown Canton. He remains held on a $100,000 bond at the Bartow County Jail.

Image via Bartow County Jail