A man was shot and killed by police late Wednesday during a traffic stop in Clayton County after police said the man pulled a gun and shot the driver of the car in which he was a passenger.
The bizarre chain of events began about 10:45 p.m. when Clayton County police officers stopped a 2009 Toyota Corolla on Mount Zion Road near Tara Boulevard.
One of the five people in the vehicle was the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant, according to police.
The officers got the five people out of the car, and while they were patting them down, the wanted man "began to reach around his waistband," and pulled out a handgun, according to Clayton County police Sgt. Otis Willis III.
"A struggle ensued, and during the time he pulled his weapon out and was firing, he fired and struck the driver of the vehicle he was in," Willis told Channel 2 Action News.
An officer then returned fire, killing the gunman.
One of the passengers fled during the gun battle, and the other two passengers were taken into custody for questioning.
The driver of the vehicle was taken to a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the stomach, Channel 2 said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
Copyright 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
