A Greene County deputy was able to tase and arrest one suspect following a traffic stop on I-20, but another was able to escape into the woods near exit 138 on Aug. 28.
Alexander Martrell Printup, 33, of 2700 Old Covington Rd., Conyers, faces charges of obstruction of an officer, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, tampering with evidence, theft by receiving stolen property and trafficking cocaine.
Warrants have been obtained for the arrest of Division Terrell Tullis, 18, of 275 Myrtle Lane, Covington, on charges of obstruction of an officer, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, tampering with evidence, theft by receiving stolen property and trafficking cocaine.
According to reports, Deputy Leo Sierra initiated a traffic stop on a gray Jeep Cherokee for impeding the flow of traffic. He made contact with driver Printup, who said he did not have his driver’s license with him.
Sierra asked Printup to exit the vehicle and said Printup seemed unusually nervous.
Sierra then asked Printup if he had anything illegal inside the Jeep, and he said he did not. He told Sierra that the passenger, Tullis, was his cousin and that he was traveling to pick up his other cousin, who had been involved in a car accident and was unable to drive.
Sierra was unable to verify Alexander’s license through GCIC, so he decided to speak with Tullis. According to Sierra's account, he asked Tullis to turn the vehicle off and remove the keys, which upset Printup.
Tullis said he did not know Printup’s real name and knew him only by a nickname. He said the two were on the way to visit a friend.
Sierra then learned that Printup had an active warrant from Gwinnett County for full extradition. While attempting to arrest Printup, the suspect became combative and pulled away, resulting in a physical altercation between Printup and Sierra.
While Sierra was trying to hold Printup on the ground, the officer said he felt as if Printup was trying to grab his taser. At this point, Tullis fled into the woods south of the scene.
Sierra was able to stand up and pushed Printup to the ground. Sierra warned Printup that he would be tased if he did not comply with law enforcement.
As Sierra was attempting to place Printup in handcuffs, he ran toward the woods.
Sierra said he discharged the cartridge of his taser with minimal effect, and Printup kept running. A second discharge had little impact as well.
Sierra pursued Printup into the woods and got close enough for a dry stun, which caused Printup to fall to the ground and surrender.
Assisting units arrived at the scene, and a canvas of the area revealed where Tullis dropped one shoe and his hoodie while jumping over a fence.
Since Sierra had Tullis’s information and there were not enough deputies to form a perimeter, Sierra decided not to deploy his K-9 partner Griff to track Tullis. A search of the vehicle revealed a 9mm handgun that had been reported stolen from Gwinnett County hidden in a child’s car seat. Sierra also found a bag of Doritos that appeared to have been resealed with flame.
The bag contained Doritos and approximately 10 ounces of cocaine. Five cell phones were also found inside the vehicle. Printup was transported to the Morgan County jail.
As of Sept. 3, Tullis remained at large.