Valdosta Police Arrest Convicted Felon After He Punches Officer and Tries to Flee

Valdosta Police arrested a 54-year-old man early Sunday after officers investigating gunfire say he punched an officer and tried to run while carrying a handgun.

Around 12:30 a.m. on November 9, an officer patrolling in the 600 block of East Brookwood Drive heard gunshots and drove toward the sound. When officers arrived, they saw a group of people standing in a driveway and noticed several spent shell casings on the ground. Another officer found a handgun under a vehicle and secured it.

As officers began checking the group for weapons, one man, identified as Aaron Urias Locks, appeared to be hiding something in his waistband and tried to turn away. When an officer grabbed him, Locks punched the officer in the face. Officers took him to the ground and recovered a handgun from his waistband.

Police said the shell casings matched the caliber of the firearm Locks had, and he admitted to firing the gun into the air.

Locks, a convicted felon, was taken to the Lowndes County Jail. He is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, obstruction of an officer with violence, and reckless conduct.