Manhunt Ends For Suspect Who Allegedly Shot Deputy On Labor Day
Investigators say 29-year-old Dalton Potter was wanted out of Texas prior to the alleged shooting. The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office confirms Potter is behind bars at their facility.
Dalton Potter [Whitfield County Jail]
After three days on the run, police say a suspect who was wanted for allegedly shooting at a Georgia deputy is behind bars. Reports confirm 29-year-old Dalton Potter was captured after spending the last 72 hours in a swamp area. He fled on foot after allegedly shooting at a deputy during a traffic stop.
"He must have had some survival skills to last for three days in such rough terrain," Sheriff Scott Chitwood said during a press conference, the AJC reports. Potter was not armed when he was arrested, the report adds.
On September 7, 2020, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations were called to a scene of an officer involved shooting in Dalton, GA.
According to a press release, 29-year-old Dalton Potter, who is a fugitive out of Texas, was operating an SUV and large stolen trailer. He was pulled over by a local deputy. 11 Alive has Whitfield County Deputy Darrell Hackney's body worn camera video of the stop. It shows the deputy walking up to the driver's side window on the side of busy highway to the point where the suspect has his window rolled down and make contact with Hackeny. What the video does not show is Deputy Hackney being shot "numerous" times.
Hackney was struck by gunfire, but the vest he was wearing prevented the bullets from entering his body. Another deputy on the scene, along with Hackney according to the press release, returned fire toward Potter, but he managed to escape. 11 Alive says the incident happened within a matter of 22 seconds.
The vehicle Potter was driving was later found wrecked, and authorities believe Hackney fled on foot near the Whitfield / Gordon County line along I-75. Another person allegedly involved was arrested during this incident.
GBI says 47-year-old Jonathan Hosmer, who was the second fugitive in this case also originally wanted out of Texas, was arrested and charged 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. GBI agents say he was seen on a local home surveillance system in a neighborhood where the accident took place before he was apprehended.
Investigators say the trailer was later searched and explosives were found inside. As for those explosives discovered, authorities say they will be destroyed by the GBI Bomb Disposal Unit. Potter is currently behind bars at the Whitfield County Jail and is facing a number of charges and being held under no bond.
