Armed Robbery Takes Place In East Ellijay

ELLIJAY, GA — An armed robbery at Rite Aid in East Ellijay this morning leaves the suspect in the hospital at North Georgia Medical Center.At around 8:00am on March 4th a citizen getting ready to exit their vehicle to enter Rite Aid witnessed a masked man carrying an assault rifle. The citizen immediately called 911.

Chief of police Larry Callahan and fellow officer Michael McClure responded to the call and arrived just as the masked man came walking out of the store.

When the masked man realized that Callahan and McClure were on the scene he turned the weapon to point directly at the two officers.

“Starting the day with a rifle pointed in your face is a never good thing,”

said Callahan.

Callahan stated that he and McClure did not engage in a shootout with the suspect because of there being so many citizens around.

“We had school buses right behind us along with the regular traffic on the highway at the time…So, we let the suspect enter his car and leave the parking lot to get him away from the kids,”

said Callahan.

The suspect then left the scene of the crime and headed east on 1st Avenue. With back-up now in on the chase, law enforcement followed the suspect towards the back end of Tractor Supply Company. Little did the suspect know that there is only one way in and one way out of that area.

Or is there?

After a three minute stand-off the suspect stepped on the accelerator and jumped the curb, leading his four-wheel-drive truck off a steep embankment back down to 1st Avenue.

The chase continued up Yukon road to just before the Clear Creek split when the suspect went off-road into the mud where law enforcement followed before the suspect got back on to Yukon and headed back towards town.

Callahan stated,

“We got into a tangled mess in the mud for a minute and then the suspect headed back towards East Ellijay.”

However, before the suspect could make it back to the city of East Ellijay officers placed spike strips across the road, flattening the suspects tires upon arrival.

Not long after the suspect lost control of his vehicle and crashed. He was then taken into custody by the police department.

Callahan stated that the suspect had went into Rite Aid to rob the pharmacy of drugs and after he was apprehended was taken to North Georgia Medical Center in Ellijay where he is being treated for what looks to be a drug overdose.

The GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) is now in the process of investigating the robbery.

Check back soon for more information on the ensuing investigation.