CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Clayton County Police said Friday that an officer shot a man trying to break into a car who was wielding a ratchet strap toward officers.
The suspect was shot in the leg, the department said, and his injuries were not life-threatening.
CCPD described a frenzied situation that preceded the shooting, which included the man getting into a car wreck and then leaving the scene after taking off his clothes and running into the woods.
According to the department, the incident began a little before 10 a.m. on Old Dixie Road in the area of Forest Park.
Officers responded to a "vehicle accident with injuries" where a witness "advised a male involved in the accident exited the vehicle, took off his clothes and ran into the woods."
The responding officers canvassed the area, CCPD said and found him at a construction site near CW Grant and Old Dixie Road.
"The suspect was attempting to enter someone's vehicle using the metal part of the ratchet strap," the department said. "Multiple officers commanded the suspect to drop the ratchet strap. The suspect began to twirl the ratchet strap in his hand in an attempt to use it as a weapon."
After giving commands to drop it again, CCPD said officers tasered him twice and "both Tasers were ineffective."
"After the suspect got tasered twice, he then swung the ratchet strap at the officer which resulted in the officer shooting the suspect in the leg," CCPD said.
Neither the officer involved nor the suspect has been identified. The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident.