FLOWERY BRANCH—Gwinnett County Police have arrested a Braselton man in connection to an officer-involved shooting that happened Monday in Hoschton.
Marc Black, 26, of Braselton was taken into custody in Flowery Branch Wednesday night by members of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
In the Monday incident, Black is accused of driving a car at deputies in an attempt to hit them while they were serving a warrant for a woman; that arrest was made without any other issues.
As officers approached the house in unicorporated Gwinnett County, they noticed a car pulling out from the back yard. The driver hit the gas.
"One of our sheriff's deputies was...not only surprised, but he felt like his life was in jeopardy as that car was charging toward him," said Cpl. Michelle Pihera, spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Police.
At that point the officer fired several shots at the car.
"And to our knowledge nobody was hit, and the deputy noted that there was a bullet hole in the front windshield," said Pihera.
The driver took off after the incident, but not before the deputy was able to take note of where the bullet hit.
Later that night, authorities received a 911 call from a woman in Auburn, about a mile from the original incident.
"This woman called to report that there was an abandoned vehicle on her property, so members of both the Gwinnett County Police Department as well as the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office went out there. And together we did confirm that the vehicle that was found on that property was the one that was related to the original incident," said Pihera.
Authorities identified the vehicle as a white Ford Escape, and, sure enough, it had a bullet hole in the windshield.
"We did not see any blood in the vehicle," said Pihera. "We did take one female occupant of that vehicle into custody, however she was not charged with any crimes because she has been cooperative in this investigation."
Pihera said another woman in the car helped in the investigation as well, and both women, identified as Peggy Vieira and Katie Johnson, were able to confirm Black as the driver of the car.
"We eventually learned that the vehicle had been stolen out of Florida," said Pihera.
Wednesday night, authorities obtained a warrant for Black's arrest and began surveilling a home in Flowery Branch.
Deputies saw a vehicle leaving the home, and recognized Black as one of the passengers.
They pulled the vehicle over, arrested Black, and brought him to the Gwinnett County jail, where he is currently incarcerated, facing a charge of aggravated assault on a peace officer.
Pihera said no officers were hurt serving any of these warrants, and at this point they are unsure why Black fled the scene in the first place.
"Detectives do believe they have located other stolen items in the vehicle, so that could be...why he fled," said Pihera.
Pihera said to her knowledge, no deputies were hurt any point during this multi-day investigation.
