ATLANTA _ One Marietta police officer was shoved and another was kidnapped during a wild rush-hour traffic stop Thursday morning, authorities said. Both officers are OK.
A driver faces a kidnapping charge after a simple traffic stop in Cobb County quickly escalated in the middle of rush hour Thursday morning, according to Channel 2 Action News.
The dramatic encounter started just after 7:30 a.m. when a Marietta police officer pulled over the man's car for an unspecified traffic violation, the news station reported. He smelled marijuana and asked the driver to step out of the vehicle.
At first, the driver cooperated, authorities said. When a second officer arrived, "everything went sideways," and the driver tried to take off, Marietta police spokesman Chuck McPhilamy told Channel 2.
The first officer put the driver in a headlock, but somehow got pulled into the man's car, according to the news station. The second officer was shoved to the ground, and the driver sped away, according to video obtained by Channel 2.
Earlier reports said the first officer was dragged by the car, but dashcam video shows the officer was completely in the vehicle even though the door was open. At some point, the officer closed the door in order to keep from falling out, McPhilamy said.
The driver traveled for a mile before stopping in a muddy pit, police said. He and two passengers got out and tried to run but were quickly arrested by other responding officers, according to Channel 2. Their names have not been released.
Georgia State Patrol troopers and Cobb County police officers assisted in the investigation. Authorities said they recovered multiple handguns.
While "it was a chaotic scene," McPhilamy said he was grateful the officers were not hurt.
