Man Shot By Officers During Traffic Stop Indicted On Assault Charges

ACWORTH, GA -- A man accused of grabbing a firearm during a traffic stop and shot as a result of the confrontation has been indicted in connection to those allegations.

A Cherokee County grand jury this week indicted Tanner Matthew Titmas on two counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer during the Jan. 16 encounter.

According to the indictment, Titmas allegedly reached for and grabbed a .38 Colt Revolver while two officers were "engaged in the performance of their official duties."

The incident unfolded during a traffic stop conducted by Acworth police officers shortly after midnight Jan. 16 on an Interstate 75 exit ramp.

Preliminary information released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation indicates an officer with the Acworth Police Department attempted to pull over Tanner in the city limits on suspicion of driving under the influence.

However, Titmas allegedly continued to drive, and eventually pulled over on the entrance ramp of Exit 277 in Cherokee County.

The officer instructed Titmas to exit the vehicle, but the motorist refused and told officers he was not intoxicated, the GBI said in its news release.

The officer then called in a partner to help evaluate Titmas’ behavior. The man allegedly told officers he did take prescription medication, but “continued to say he was not intoxicated,” the GBI said.

Titmas was classified as a “less safe driver demonstrating signs of impairment,” and an Acworth police supervisor was called in assist.

Titmas was then told he was being arrested for DUI. According to the GBI, he told officers that he was not going to jail and rolled up the window to his vehicle.

“Titmas continued to be non-compliant to the officers’ commands,” the agency previously said. “As one of the officers attempted to gain entry into the car by knocking out a window, Titmas produced a handgun and pointed it at the officer. One of the officers fired at Titmas through the closed window striking him in the torso.”

Titmas was transported to an area hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound. The defendant's attorney in February filed a motion for a mental health evaluation be conducted on his client, a move granted by Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Jackson Harris.

Court records show Titmas was released on $55,400 bond in March from the Cherokee County Detention Center and since his release, has been attending a residential mental health treatment program. In May, Judge Harris ordered the Clerk of Courts Office to seal the results of the competency hearing.

In late July, Titmas's defense attorney requested the court to remove a bond condition in which he has to wear and pay for a GPS monitoring device. That motion has yet to be heard by the court.

Image via Cherokee County Jail