Fayette County Sheriff Barry Babb was slightly injured last Friday when he tackled and arrested a car-theft suspect.
An airborne Babb got his man, but his head struck a tree during the apprehension.
Babb sustained a mild frontal lobe concussion and was treated and released from Piedmont Fayette Hospital.
“It rung my bell. The lights were on but nobody was home,” Babb said Monday, smiling as he sat in his office and with only a few scrapes still visible.
Investigators and deputies on Feb. 13 tracked down the men believed responsible for a north Fayette car theft.
The man tackled by Babb — Paul Edward Chapman, 21, of Atlanta — was charged with theft by taking-motor vehicle and was transported to the Fayette County Jail where he is being held without bond. Chapman has other charges pending in Fulton County, said Babb.
Babb said deputies at approximately 8 a.m. responded to a residence in the 200 block of White Tail Court in north Fayette to investigate a call about a stolen auto.
The owner told deputies the car was left warming in the driveway and upon returning from inside the house, he saw the 2015 Toyota Camry leaving the driveway with a black male in the driver’s seat, Babb said.
A black vehicle was following behind the Camry and the black male driver was seen on the street before the car owner had gone back into the residence, Babb said.
Investigators believe this black vehicle was the same car observed by a witness in the area of another vehicle theft on Jan. 28, on Briers Ridge approximately one mile away, Babb noted.
Babb said deputies were able to track the vehicle by GPS to an apartment complex. The stolen vehicle was located, found unoccupied and backed into a parking spot at the Vesta Gardens Apartments at 4590 Washington Road in Fulton County.
The sheriff and units from (CID) Criminal Investigations Division set up surveillance of the Camry and a short time later a black Volkswagen Jetta occupied by two black males entered the apartment complex and parked next to the stolen Camry. The passenger of the black VW placed something inside the stolen Camry and returned to the black VW.
Babb and the investigators attempted to block in the black VW to prevent escape. Chapman ran from the vehicle but after a short foot chase was apprehended and taken into custody by Babb and other CID units.
Chapman was armed with a handgun and tried to grab it during the foot pursuit, said Babb.
At left, the suspect was carrying a .45-caliber Glock handgun loaded with G2R R.I.P. ammunition, at about $3 per round, a type not often seen in the area. Photo/Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.The second suspect fled on foot and was not apprehended.
It is well-known that Babb in his run for sheriff said he would be the “tip of the spear” in terms of his presence in matters of law enforcement. His action in Chapman’s apprehension was no exception.
Babb missed one tackle during the foot chase but saw another opportunity and went airborne in an area off the parking lot and adjacent to a stand of shrubs and a large oak tree.
“I was watching him to try to create the angle to tackle him,” Babb said. “I landed on top of him and hit the tree with my face. But I still held on to the guy.”
Investigators were seconds away and took Chapman into custody.
Babb said the bullets in the suspect’s .45-caliber Glock handgun were of a type not often seen locally. Babb said Chapman is also suspected in the recent theft of a Range Rover, also in north Fayette County.
Babb cautioned citizens about leaving their vehicle unattended, even while letting it warm in the morning.
