Officer Fired After Video Shows Him Deliberately Hitting Fleeing Suspect With Car

A police officer in Georgia has been fired after video showed him deliberately hitting a fleeing suspect with his patrol car.

Officer Taylor Saulters with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department was let go from his position on Saturday, June 2, just 24 hours after the police department opened an internal investigation into reports that the rookie officer had deliberately hit fleeing suspect Timmy Patmon with his police cruiser.

"Athens police Chief Scott Freeman initially placed Saulters on administrative leave, initiated an internal affairs investigation, and requested that the Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct independent investigations of the incident," the Athens-Clarke County Police Department wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. "After reviewing the officers' body camera footage, and all the other facts and circumstances of this case, Chief Scott Freeman terminated the employment of Officer Taylor Saulters."

The investigation into the incident began after video surfaced showing the Friday, June 1 incident in which Saulters began to pursue suspect Timmy Patmon, who had a felony probation warrant stemming from a drug charge involving possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. After confirming the warrant, Patmon began to flee, and Officer Hunter Blackmon pursued him on foot while Officer Saulters pursued him in the police cruiser.

Video of the incident shows Saulters attempting to block Patmon's path by cutting him off, though when that proved unsuccessful, the pursuit continued until seconds later body camera footage shows Saulters hitting the suspect, Patmon rolling onto the hood of the vehicle.

Following the collision, Saulters can be heard threatening to taze Patmon, stating "give us your hands now or you're going to get tased" and warning him to "make good decisions" as onlookers state "You didn't have to hit that man like that."

The officers on scene requested an ambulance for Patmon, who suffered scrapes and bruises, and allow a woman to give him a cigarette.

Minutes after the collision, Saulters drove to another location.

"I didn't hit him with the car; I blocked him with the car. He ran into the hood of my car and bounced off," he tells other police officers.

"We work every day to build a rapport and relationships with the community so that when situations like this occur they know we will act in good faith. We'll continue to be transparent and answer questions," police spokesman Eppi Rodriguez said, according to The New York Times.

Prior to his termination, Saulters, who had been with the department for about a year, had an "exemplary record."