The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is continuing its probe of an officer-involved shooting by a Habersham County sheriff's deputy just inside that state early Friday.
"It was non-fatal," according to Communications Officer Patty McQuillan of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
"The officers were from Habersham County S.O. in Georgia," McQuillan said Tuesday. "It was a stolen vehicle pursuit from Georgia into North Carolina. The subject crashed and then used his vehicle to assault officers and one officer shot the driver."
McQuillan identified the fleeing driver as Austin Tyler Thomason, 24, and the front seat passenger as Crystal Singleton, 21.
McQuillan was not able to provide cities of residence for the pair.
Thomason was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Singleton was booked into the Macon County Detention Center in North Carolina.
"The suspect from the motor vehicle pursuit on April 7 has been released from the hospital and is currently being housed in the Habersham County Detention Center," according to Habersham County Sheriff's Lt. Matt Wurtz.
Thomason is charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, fugitive from justice, theft by receiving stolen property, fleeing or attempting to elude police officer, passing in a no-passing zone, driving on wrong side of undivided street, failure to maintain lane, driving while license suspended or revoked, reckless driving, and failure to stop for stop sign.
Thomason is wanted out of Greenville County, S.C., on unrelated charges.
"The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is still investigating the shooting incident and has not released any findings at this time," Wurtz said.
As is standard in situations like this, the Habersham County deputy remains on administrative leave with pay pending completion of the investigation.
