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3300 Windsor Court
A Chattanooga police officer shot at a man during a traffic stop Sunday night when the suspect rammed his vehicle into the officer's patrol car, police said Monday.
The shooting happened near 3300 Windsor Court -- a dead-end street in a residential area in Brainerd -- just after 8 p.m. Sunday. The patrol officer pulled the man over and got out of the car. As he approached the vehicle on foot, the driver put the vehicle in reverse and rammed it into the officer's car.
The officer shot at the vehicle and the man as the driver slammed the vehicle backward. The officer was not hurt, but the suspect drove away and police aren't sure whether the man was injured in the shooting, Deputy Chief David Roddy said. Information on the number of times the officer fired has not been released.
When the suspect fled, the officer tried to chase the vehicle but had to stop on Brainerd Road because his patrol car seemed badly damaged, Roddy added.
"The officer heard what sounded like a lot of noise coming from his vehicle and he believed it had been severely damaged," Roddy said. "The officer pulled to the side of the road and upon exiting his vehicle he found a piece of the suspect's vehicle actually connected to his vehicle."
Police later found the suspect's vehicle abandoned at a separate location, but did not release that location because it is part of the investigation. Roddy said police aren't sure whether the registered owner of the vehicle was involved.
The patrol officer has not been identified because the suspect is still at large, Roddy said. The officer has been with the department since 2010 and was placed on paid administrative leave after the incident in accordance with department policy. Internal affairs will open an investigation into his actions, Roddy said.
Police did not release any details about the suspect and declined to say whether he was alone in the vehicle because of the ongoing investigation. But Roddy said he does not believe the suspect is a threat to the general public.
"The suspect's actions were directly aimed at the officer attempting to pull him over," Roddy said. "It is a safety concern for officers as we attempt to locate the suspect, but at this point we don't believe this is any threat to the public."
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas.
From the future, Jan. 29, 2015: