*A Georgia man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for firing an assault-style rifle at a Georgia State Patrol trooper.
Timothy Carruth, 25, was fleeing a traffic stop on Jan. 22, 2020, on Ga. 72 near Meadow Lane in Madison County. As reported by the Altana Journal-Constitution, a GSP trooper used his patrol car to disable Carruth’s Toyota Camry when he sped away. His vehicle became stuck in a ditch following the PIT maneuver, according to the report.
When the trooper tried to get Carruth to exit the vehicle he emerged with an AK-47 and opened fire, officials said. He then ran into a nearby pasture and disappeared into some woods.
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“The trooper was thankfully not hit, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI initiated a manhunt,” said district attorney Parks White.
Carruth was arrested about two hours later. He previously served time for aggravated assault, fleeing police and reckless driving, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records. He had been out of prison for only a few months before the shooting incident with the trooper.
Carruth was sentenced after pleading guilty to the gunfire exchange, according to the report.
“Because of his substantial criminal history, we insisted that he be sentenced as a recidivist,” said White.
“Carruth had a long history of violent felony convictions in Athens, but had unfortunately never faced real justice,” White said. “He was given probation over and over, or very short custodial sentences.”
