HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The trial against three teenagers in the death of a Hall County sheriff's deputy in 2019 focused Wednesday on an alleged string of robberies that preceded the eventual shooting death of Deputy Nicholas Blane Dixon at the end of a chase.
Among the witnesses were a woman whose car was stolen and used in that chase and a business owner who said one of the accused would come into his pawn shop as a kid. The business owner described that individual, London Alexander Clements, as a "normal kid" who he would give bubble gum to.
One officer who responded to a burglarized car dealership - of which there were several targeted in the string of robberies - said the crimes "seemed very bold."
The robberies of at least five businesses were detailed in testimony.
One owner of a small used car lot recalled Deputy Dixon investigating the burglary at his business, and expressing empathy for him: “I will take care of you, get rest," the owner said Dixon told him.
Late in the evening of July 7, 2019, Dixon attempted to stop a stolen vehicle thought to be connected to the burglaries.
The car they were chasing crashed near the intersection of Jesse Jewell Parkway and Highland Avenue in Gainesville. Authorities said several suspects ran and deputies chased them.
The chase ended in a shootout, with Dixon being killed.
Days later, several teens were arrested in connection to the case. Three of them - Clements, Hector Garcia Solis and Eric Edgardo Velazquez - are now on trial.
Two of the defendants, Clements and Velazquez, are charged with being party to a crime. Garcia Solis is charged with felony murder.
On the first day of the trial the state began its opening remarks by offering a glimpse of what Dixon's camera captured the night he was killed in 2019. They later showed video from Dixon's body camera showing him chasing the suspects and being shot.
They then presented the jury with a series of photos from surveillance cameras allegedly showing the teen suspects breaking into a pawnshop the day before, stealing more than 27 guns.
The defense, however, suggested not all the teens deserve to be charged in this case.