ATLANTA MAN ARRESTED IN FRANKLIN COUNTY ROAD RAGE INCIDENT

An Atlanta man is in the Franklin County Detention Center on multiple charges involving an alleged case of road rage.

It happened on March 27 on I-85 Northbound.

According to Sheriff Steve Thomas deputies responded to a 911 call regarding a vehicle that had been shot at while traveling on the Interstate.

The driver said the bullet hit his vehicle but he was not injured.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that two vehicles, a sedan, and a pickup truck were engaged in ‘break checking and reckless driving’ while traveling northbound on I-85,” Sheriff Thomas said. “When the driver of the pickup truck exited I-85 at Exit 160, the sedan driver fired at his truck multiple times. The driver of the pickup truck was able to contact 911, and provide a detailed description including the tag number of the suspect’s sedan.”

The Sheriff said his officers were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle at the Carnesville Pilot off Exit 166 and he was taken into custody. The driver of the sedan was identified as Jerry Dean Hopkins, 71 of Atlanta.

“A firearm was located inside the sedan and was seized during an execution of a search warrant,” he said. “Investigators were also able to collect evidence that will be submitted for ballistics testing by the state Crime lab.”

Thomas said the criminal case is continuing with additional interviews of witnesses.

On Friday, Hopkins was formally charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault, one count of Criminal Damage To Property, one count of Aggressive Driving, one count of Discharging A Firearm Near a Public Roadway, one count of Reckless Conduct, two counts of Pointing a Pistol At Another, and one count of Possession Of a Firearm During The Commission Of Crime.

Hopkins was denied bond by the Franklin County Chief Magistrate Judge and remains in the Franklin County Detention Center.