A 22-year-old shot and killed himself Thursday night after fleeing a traffic stop in Alpharetta and dragging an officer in the process, police said.
The incident began shortly after 8 p.m. when police stopped a vehicle on the exit ramp to Mansell Road from the southbound lanes of Ga. 400, Alpharetta police said in a statement.
As the officer spoke with the driver on the exit ramp, he reportedly drove away with the officer partially inside his vehicle.
“Our officer was dragged for some distance but was finally able to get his arm out and fell away into the roadway,” the statement said. “The suspect then continued to flee toward Mansell Road.”
A second officer notified dispatchers about what happened and helped the injured officer, authorities said.
According to police, the driver pulled out a handgun and killed himself. The man, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 22-year-old Dante Parara, was found dead inside his vehicle on Mansell Road, investigators said.
“Due to the circumstances, our Criminal Investigation Division has requested the entire incident be reviewed and investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,” Alpharetta police said in the statement. “All video and evidence (has) been turned over to the GBI, and they will be the point of contact for all further updates in this case.”
The medical examiner’s office has not released an official cause or manner of death in the case.
Authorities have not said what prompted the traffic stop, or if Parara had any warrants for his arrest.
The officer, whose name was withheld, was taken to the hospital with “significant injuries” and released Thursday night. He is recovering at home.
“We’d also like to express our sympathy to the suspect’s family and ask everyone to keep all involved in your thoughts,” Alpharetta police wrote Friday afternoon in a Facebook post.
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