A Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office K-9 deputy was injured and a suspect was arrested Friday following a car chase and shooting in Lawrenceville.
According to a press release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, James Edward Perkins, 34, and an unnamed female passenger were found in a stolen SUV just after 5 p.m. at a Goodwill Thrift Store and Donation Center.
Officers detained the female, but Perkins fled in the stolen vehicle. Police chased Perkins to Anzio Apartments on Sweetwater Road in Lawrenceville, where Perkins tried to drive the vehicle between the clubhouse and an apartment building. There was a steep drop-off, which disabled the stolen SUV.
Perkins shot the deputy who approached the vehicle and officers returned fire. Perkins was hit and Gwinnett County Police Department SWAT officers were able to arrest him.
The deputy and the suspect were taken to Northside Hospital Gwinnett to be treated for their injuries, with Perkins said to be in critical condition.
The injured deputy, later identified by the Sheriff's Office as Master Deputy Sheriff N. Butler, had been released from the hospital by Saturday evening.
"[Butler] has been released from the hospital and is doing very well," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement sent to local media on Saturday. "We would like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to all responding agencies and the outstanding medical staff at Northside Hospital Gwinnett."
The GBI is conducting an independent investigation of the case, which will be turned to the Gwinnett County District Attorney's office for review.
According to the GBI, the agency has investigated 57 officer-involved shootings this year.
Original story posted 6-11-2022 at 7 a.m.
A suspect was arrested Friday after a car chase in Lawrenceville led to a shooting that injured a Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office K9 deputy.
In a release, the Gwinnett Police Department said officers attempted to pull over what they believed to be a stolen vehicle just after 5:00 p.m. when the suspect drove away, leading police on a chase and hitting several patrol cars and other vehicles.
After the chase, police say there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and officers on Sweetwater Road in Lawrenceville. An officer and the suspect were both injured.
The suspect was arrested by SWAT officers and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. While police identified him as an adult male, they did not release his name.
The officer's condition has not been released and the investigation has been turned over to the GBI, according to statements from the Gwinnett Police Department and the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.
The updated story was corrected at 4:12 p.m. to reflect the identity of the suspect. The GBI provided an incorrect suspect ID.
