Fake cell phone salesman nearly runs over Dalton police officer

Counterfeit cell phones sold by a Dalton man before he tried to run over police during his escape.
Counterfeit cell phones sold by a Dalton man before he tried to run over police during his escape.
photo Giovanni Esposito has been charged with assault after he nearly ran over a police officer who was trying to apprehend him for selling counterfeit phones.

Police arrested a 22-year-old Dalton man Sunday evening after he allegedly tried to run over an officer during an escape attempt.

Dalton police officer Matias Castillo was dispatched shortly before 4:30 p.m. to a parking lot off Glenwood Avenue to check out a suspicious vehicle.

The complainant, a taxi driver, told Castilo that Giovanni Esposito was selling fake Sumsung Galaxy S6 phones out of the back seat of his Hyundai.

As the officer approached, Esposito began to back out of his space, then drove forward toward the officer, the taxi driver and his two cab fares.

The group was able to get out of the way, as Esposito fled down the street, running a red light during his escape. The officer called for backup, and another officer spotted Esposito and took him into custody.

Police later found out that one of the taxi driver's fares had bought a fraudulent cell phone from Esposito, and had set up a meeting in hopes of catching him in the act. Esposito was found to have five more counterfeit Samsung Galaxy phones for sale at the time of his arrest.

Investigators have asked anyone who bought a cell phone from Esposito to call the police at 706-278-9085, extension 157.

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