ATLANTA — Atlanta Police say a shooting outside a popular shopping plaza that sent a man to the hospital was the result of a rideshare driver who feared for her safety when a man confronted her and claimed to be an off-duty police officer.
Police said it may have all started with road rage. It ended in a parking lot by the Target on Peachtree Street.
Two vehicles on the scene sustained significant damage. According to police, a rideshare driver was dropping a passenger off at a motel on Cheshire Bridge Road when a man attempted to use his vehicle to block her in.
Police continued by saying the rideshare driver fled the scene and the man took off following her in his red car.
That caused her to lose control of her vehicle and crash on Peachtree Road.
Police add that the man then approached the female rideshare driver who, fearing for her safety, fired off several shots at him.
Officers said while the man shot is hospitalized, he is alert, conscious, and breathing. They add that he claimed to be an off-duty police officer who was attempting to make a traffic stop, just using his own car.
However, this was found not to be true and he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, impersonating a police officer, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug related objects.
Officers said he will be taken to the Fulton County Jail once released from the hospital.
This is a developing story, we will update as more information comes forward.