A man was fatally shot by officers Friday after attempting to flee a traffic stop in a stolen vehicle in Cobb County, the GBI said.
The man killed was identified as 40-year-old Clifford Jacoby Beck of Griffin. No officers were injured.
Police said they were alerted about a stolen box truck being operated by a man near Mableton Parkway and Veterans Memorial Highway around 2:40 p.m. Officers followed the truck into the parking lot of a Chevron gas station on Old Floyd Road near Fontaine Road and attempted to block the vehicle, the GBI said.
A passenger in the truck immediately got out and complied with officers, but Beck did not, according to the GBI. Beck tried to flee and struck a citizen’s vehicle and several marked patrol cars in the process, Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Eric Smith told reporters at the scene.
At that point, officers fired at the truck, striking Beck, the GBI said. He was provided aid at the scene and then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Credit: Benjamin Hendren
Credit: Benjamin Hendren
The tire of the truck continued to spin even after it collided into the patrol vehicles, and the GBI said the truck and one patrol car caught on fire. The blaze was quickly extinguished by firefighters.
Footage from the scene showed at least two patrol cars crashed into the charred box truck near the convenience store at the gas station.
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. It was the 26th officer-involved shooting the GBI has been asked to investigate this year and the fifth this month.
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