An FBI agent was forced to open fire early Friday after a wanted gang member ran from a Sandy Springs hotel, hopped in a pickup truck and dragged the agent for a quarter-mile, according to an agency spokesman.
The agent and the wounded man were taken to local hospitals, FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said in an emailed statement.
The agent’s name was not released. Authorities identified the suspect as Cedrick Hill, 25, of Marietta.
“His injuries are not life threatening, and he is in custody,” Rowson said.
The incident started shortly after 6 a.m. in the lobby of the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria when the FBI agent tried to arrest Hill in connection with a gang investigation, Rowson said.
The incident spilled outside when Hill took off and tried to get away in the truck.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
“The agent tried to stop (Hill) from fleeing in the vehicle and somehow got caught up in the vehicle and got dragged by the suspect,” Rowson said. “At that point, the agent felt that his life was in danger, so he shot the suspect.”
The agent called 911, and Hill returned to the hotel lobby, according to the FBI.
Sandy Springs police arrested Hill without incident inside the Wyndham in the 6300 block of Powers Ferry Road, Rowson said.
A gun, wallet and shell casings were on the ground outside the Wyndham.
The arrest is the latest in an investigation that yielded an indictment against dozens of members and associates of the “Nine Trey Gangsters” on Oct. 12.
Hill “was the lone suspect that was not apprehended from that investigation,” Rowson said.
The suspects face RICO, murder and drug charges, officials said.
“The alleged crimes relate to drug distribution in the Atlanta area and acts of violence perpetrated largely against the gang’s own members,” U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak said in a news release. “Shockingly, the Nine Trey Gangsters in this case appear willing to kill someone or to commit violence over the smallest perceived slight.”
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