DALTON, Ga. (AP) - A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the town of Resaca, northwest of Atlanta. In that shooting, two days after the initial traffic stop, Potter shot a man on his property and the man fired back, authorities said.
Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood had told reporters Wednesday that investigators had surrounded Potter, 29, northwest of the town.
“We probably have over 100 officers, we’ve set up a strong perimeter, we still have the (Georgia State Patrol) helicopter in the air, we’ve got K-9s on the ground tracking in the woods,” Chitwood said, noting that it was getting dark outside.
Chitwood said the civilian who was shot was hospitalized in stable condition.
Noah Cloer identified his father, Eddie Cloer, as the victim. He was feeding animals in his yard when Potter attacked, shooting him in the arm and grazing his head, Noah Cloer told WTVC. Eddie Cloer was able to fire back and Potter fled, his son said.
Resaca is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, and about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from the city of Dalton, where investigators said Potter fired multiple shots at Whitfield County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Hackney around midnight Monday morning during a traffic stop.
Hackney was struck, but his ballistic vest saved him, the GBI said. Hackney and another deputy returned fire, but Potter drove away south on Interstate 75. He wrecked the truck and escaped into the woods on foot, the GBI said.
The GBI also revealed Wednesday that Potter was hauling explosives in a stolen trailer that was found along the southbound lanes of I-75, near the Whitfield-Gordon county line. The GBI’s bomb disposal unit will get rid of the explosives, the agency said.
Potter, from Leakey, Texas, was wanted in Georgia on five counts of aggravated assault, and on Texas charges of larceny and theft of more than $2500.
A second Texas man, Jonathan Hosmer, 47, was arrested Tuesday after surveillance video recorded him leaving the truck crash. Also wanted in Texas on larceny and theft charges, he’s charged in Georgia with possession of methamphetamine, bringing stolen property into the state, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
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