38-year-old Chadwick LeCroy was shot and killed after trying to make a traffic stop in northwest Atlanta, authorities said.
LeCroy, who was from Marietta, was trying to stop a 2007 Mazda late Monday for having a broken headlight when a short chase ensued, said Maj. Mark McDonough of the Georgia State Patrol.
The Mazda crashed at a nearby intersection, and when Lecroy approached the car, he was shot in the face twice, McDonough said.
Authorities said it was unclear whether a struggle preceded the shooting.
After the shooting, the man jumped into the trooper's squad car and drove it several blocks before taking off on foot, authorities said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said they found the gunman's weapon on the roof of a nearby apartment complex, and the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was taken into custody hours later.
Lecroy, who is survived by a wife and two sons, was the first state trooper to be killed by gunfire since 1975 and the 27th trooper to be killed in the line of duty since the patrol was organized in 1937.
Chadwick LeCroy (Photo courtesy Georgia State Patrol)
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