GBI Probes Officer-Involved Shooting After Stolen SUV Flees Traffic Stop Across State Line

CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. – The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving officers from the East Ridge Police Department in Tennessee, authorities confirmed. No injuries were reported.

According to preliminary information, the incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on December 14, 2025, after East Ridge police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a stolen SUV crossover in East Ridge, Tennessee. Officers activated their emergency lights as they followed the vehicle, but the driver crossed the state line into Georgia before stopping at a Circle K gas station parking lot on Lafayette Road in Rossville.

Officers reported seeing two or three occupants inside the vehicle and gave commands for them to exit. Authorities said the occupants refused to comply and then fled the scene. As the vehicle drove away, one officer discharged a firearm toward the SUV.

The occupants of the vehicle have not yet been identified.

The stolen SUV was later located at a different location in Rossville on December 16, 2025. No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting.

At the request of the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI is conducting an independent investigation into the incident. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be turned over to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

The investigation remains ongoing.