A helicopter flight to transport a patient to a hospital doesn’t seem too unusual —unless the victim is a Georgia State Patrol K9 dog.
The dog, named Amor, suffered gunshot wounds while in the line of duty.
Officers from the Sandy Springs Police Department closed Abernathy Road just east of Roswell Road Dec. 18 to provide a landing zone for a Georgia State Patrol (GSP) helicopter near Blue Pearl Pet Hospital, Sgt. Leon Millholland told Rough Draft Atlanta. GSP contacted the Sandy Springs police department for assistance. The closure was brief: five minutes.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) reported in a news release that K9 Amor was treated for gunshot wounds and released. The location of the dog’s injuries and prognosis for recovery weren’t immediately available.
The Dec. 18 saga began on I-85 in Coweta County when a member of the GSP conducted a traffic violation stop on a person driving Chevrolet Cruze . After providing his driver’s license, the suspect fled the scene, and a pursuit began southbound on I-85, according to the GBI release.
During the pursuit, the suspect allegedly fired a weapon at troopers and Coweta County deputies. The troopers returned gunfire. Amor was struck by gunfire during the exchange.
Troopers performed PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuvers to disable the suspect’s vehicle. The Georgia Department of Pubic Safety’s policy manual defines PIT maneuvers as the intentional act of using a patrol vehicle to physically force a fleeing vehicle from a course of travel to stop it.
The male eventually exited the highway before stopping in a wooded area near Grantville and fleeing on foot. He remains at large, and the GBI is investigating the incident.
