Georgia: Cobb police officer struck by SUV, thrown onto hood

A Woodstock man has been charged with assaulting a police officer after he allegedly struck the officer with his SUV and threw him onto the vehicle’s hood late Friday night. Police said Rafael Alberto Diaz-Brito, 41, was being pulled over for failing to instructions at a nearby crash site. Diaz-Brito had been pulled over on I-575 southbound near the Barrett Parkway overpass around 10:30 pm.

As the officer was moving from the SUV’s passenger side to the driver’s side, police said Diaz-Brito accelerated, striking and throwing the officer onto the hood. When the injured officer got up from the ground, he fired his service weapon at the driver as he fled southbound on I-575.

Police eventually caught Diaz-Brito on Cobb Parkway at the Canton Connector. There was another, unidentified passenger in the SUV. Neither Diaz-Brito or the occupant were injured by the officer's gunfire.

The unidentified officer was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.