A man was left injured following a shootout with law enforcement near the DeKalb County Jail, with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stepping in to probe the escalating incident.
Deontre' Thomas, a 25-year-old Atlanta resident, was spotted by deputies allegedly attempting to sneak contraband into the county jail around 1:15 a.m. on March 9, the GBI reported. A chase ensued when Thomas bolted from the scene, leaving his vehicle running on Memorial Drive, and deputies momentarily lost track of him when he slipped from their purview but, the pursuit reignited when he returned to his car and was confronted by an officer who discharged his weapon that led to Thomas fleeing once again, this time in his car.
As the night's chaos unfolded, the DeKalb County Police Department received a distress call around 2:30 a.m. about a gunshot victim at a residence on Emerald Drive, the GBI further detailed. Responding to the call, officers discovered Thomas along with the vehicle used in the earlier standoff outside the jail.
Medical personnel transported the wounded man to a local hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition, at the scene, no deputies sustained injuries during the confrontation. The GBI has announced an independent investigation into the shootout, and upon its completion, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office will conduct a formal review to ascertain the procedural justness of the incident.
