What started as a routine traffic stop for a tag violation on Austell Powder Springs Road turned into a gunfight, with investigators saying a passenger in a fleeing white truck fired seven shots at two Austell police officers earlier in August 2026. Neither officer was hit, and a convicted felon identified as Adam Hawkins was arrested in connection with the shooting.
According to WSB-TV, the encounter began when an Austell police officer spotted a tag violation on a white truck traveling along Austell Powder Springs Road and attempted to pull the vehicle over. Instead of stopping, the truck sped up, setting off a pursuit that pulled in officers from multiple jurisdictions. Cobb County police and Powder Springs police both responded and helped establish a perimeter as the chase unfolded.
Dash camera video captured officers calling out “shots fired” as the pursuit continued, the station reported. Investigators said the suspected shooter fired at the first officer four times before that officer pulled out of the pursuit, then fired three more times at a second officer. One officer’s body camera captured a description of the suspected shooter as a white man with tattoos covering his face, per the same report.
Everyone in the Truck Taken Into Custody
Everyone inside the truck was ultimately taken into custody after the pursuit ended, WSB-TV reported. Police said Hawkins fired the shots from the passenger seat of the truck, and investigators later identified him as the suspect in the shooting. Hawkins is a convicted felon, according to the station’s reporting, though the outlet did not specify what charges have been filed or list other occupants who may face charges.
The Austell Police Department that responded to the tag violation is headquartered at 5000 Austell Powder Springs Road, placing officers close to the corridor where the confrontation unfolded, according to the City of Austell. The department is led by Police Chief Shameta Jones-Harrell, who was sworn in in June 2025 as the first female police chief in Cobb County history, per Police1.
Georgia Law Sets Steep Penalties for Shots Fired at Police
Georgia law treats aggravated assault against an on-duty law enforcement officer as a distinct felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison when a firearm is discharged, with maximum penalties reaching up to 20 years, under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-21. Because Hawkins is described as a convicted felon, he could also face separate liability under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-131, which makes it a felony for anyone with a prior felony conviction to receive, possess, or transport a firearm — punishable by one to five years, or up to five years if the earlier offense was a forcible felony.
Cobb County courts have handed down lengthy sentences in similar cases before. In one prior Cobb County prosecution, an Austell resident was sentenced to 30 years in prison with 20 years to serve after being convicted of aggravated assault on a police officer and reckless driving during an attempted traffic stop, according to Police1's earlier reporting. It remains unclear what specific charges Hawkins or any other occupants of the truck now face, and the Cobb County District Attorney's Office has not yet detailed a formal list of indictments.
Latest in a String of Violent Incidents Around Austell
The shooting adds to a run of high-profile violent crime and firearm cases that have touched Austell in recent months. In July 2026, federal DEA agents and local police carried out a multi-jurisdictional raid and traffic stop in the city that recovered more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine and illegal firearms, as Hoodline reported in coverage of that bust. Gun violence also drew regional concern in January 2026, when a shooting outside Marlene's Bar left one person dead and several others injured.
Traffic stops have proven especially risky for Cobb County law enforcement this year. In a separate August 2026 incident near Interstate 285 and Cobb Parkway, a fleeing driver struck a pedestrian during a police pursuit, resulting in multiple felony charges, according to WSB-TV. The Cobb County Police Department also runs a specialized Violent Crime Intervention Program, known as VIPER, aimed at seizing illegal firearms and arresting repeat violent offenders, according to earlier reporting from 11Alive.
The coordinated response among Austell, Cobb County, and Powder Springs police departments during the pursuit reflects a working relationship the agencies maintain across municipal lines. The Cobb Chamber of Commerce is set to recognize officers from all three departments during its Public Safety Appreciation Week in October 2026. For now, investigators have not released additional details on the identities or potential charges of other occupants of the truck, and no court hearing dates have been announced.
