DALTON, Ga. — One of the suspects fired upon by a sheriff’s deputy while fleeing a traffic stop Tuesday morning probably was wounded, authorities say.
A Whitfield County deputy pulled the vehicle over about 3 a.m. Tuesday in connection with a robbery at a Dalton hotel. The deputy, who has not been named, fired after he was struck by the vehicle, said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Daniel Sims.
Agent Sims said a warrant has been issued for Robert Cunningham, 37, of 109 West Nance Springs Road in Dalton.
“(We’re) led to believe Robert Cunningham has been wounded by the deputy in the shooting and may require medical attention,” Agent Sims said.
Mr. Cunningham is wanted on charges of aggravated assault, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of tools for commission of a crime, fleeing to elude arrest and reckless driving, Agent Sims said.
The deputy was treated at a hospital and released Tuesday, Agent Sims said.
The sheriff’s office asked the GBI to help with the case because an officer was involved in a shooting, Agent Sims said.
The deputy stopped the Jeep because it matched the description of one used by a suspect fleeing a hotel robbery, Agent Sims said.
Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier said a woman at the Guest Inn on Chattanooga Road reported her purse was stolen about 1 a.m. and named her nephew, Aaron Clark, 21, as a suspect.
When leaving the hotel, Mr. Clark was reported to have jumped into a dark-colored Volvo. Officers pulled over a dark Volvo and found Mr. Clark’s parents driving, Mr. Frazier said. The parents told officers their son had gotten out their car and into a red Jeep, Mr. Frazier said.
Mr. Clark later was found at his home and arrested on a robbery charge, Mr. Frazier said.
Officers are unable to confirm if Mr. Clark was one of the suspects who fled the Jeep when the deputy pulled the vehicle over and are still investigating, Agent Sims said.
Anyone who knows where Mr. Cunningham can be found is asked to call the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office at 706-278-1233.