UPDATE: Calhoun Police Chief Tony Pyle says the man who shot at officers got to Buc-ee’s by kidnapping a woman and 10-year-old.
Pyle says the suspect, Robert Smith, went to a woman’s house in Atlanta and held her at gunpoint to drive him to Nashville. She started the drive with a ten-year-old on board as well.
They made a pitstop at Buc-ee’s in Calhoun around 4:00am where the woman hid in a bathroom.
The woman eventually was able to alert an employee at Buc-ee’s to call the police.
When police arrived, they tried to handcuff Smith, who escaped and fired shots at a Calhoun police officer. The officer was not injured and did not fire his weapon.
Smith then stole a truck and fled Calhoun Police.
“It was handled as well as it could have been,” said Chief Pyle.
Pyle says he’s grateful the incident happened at the time it did because there were fewer people at Buc-ee’s – a very popular road trip pit stop.
“It’s like an ant farm… if it had been at a busy time, someone would have got hurt,” says Pyle. He says they’ve never handled an issue “this extreme” at Buc-ee’s.
Smith continued north on Interstate 75 in the stolen vehicle, with Whitfield County deputies in pursuit. He fired several shots out the car window, but didn’t hit any deputies.
Soon afterward, the vehicle lost control. Smith was later found to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Pyle says Smith was from the Chattanooga area but frequented Atlanta and Nashville.
PREVIOUS STORY: A man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Whitfield County after shooting at officers in the Buc-ee’s parking lot, shooting again at deputies on Interstate 75, and stealing a vehicle on Thursday morning.
The Calhoun Police Dept. says the incident started as a domestic call at Buc-ee’s where the suspect shot at officers before stealing a vehicle and fleeing police.
“At this time, there is no immediate danger or threat to the public, and more information will be released when possible,” the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office says.
The officer who was fired at received no injuries.
Whitfield County Deputies were notified of a “Be On The Lookout” for the suspect heading north on I-75 with a stolen vehicle.
Whitfield deputies located the vehicle on Chattanooga Road, and a pursuit began when the suspect failed to stop.
The suspect then fired a weapon several times at Whitfield County Deputies from the vehicle. The deputies did not return fire.
The pursuit continued for three miles before the suspect lost control of the vehicle and deputies found a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the suspect’s head.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.
PREVIOUS STORY: A Calhoun police officer was fired at Thursday morning at Buc-ee’s early on Thursday morning, but was not injured.
Calhoun police were responding to a domestic call when the suspect shot at an officer.
The suspect stole a vehicle, fled the scene, and was shortly after apprehended by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office.
The officer who was shot at received no injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
The GBI confirmed to Local 3 News early on Thursday morning that a death investigation was underway in Whitfield County for a death investigation.
