Atlanta police release video of officers pursuing shooting suspect who had 3 children in the vehicle
By: On December 20, 2023, at approximately 12:15 PM, Atlanta Police responded to a call of shots fired at 3843 Jonesboro Rd. SE. Upon arrival, officers spoke with several witnesses at the location, who advised a male in a gray Jeep Cherokee stopped in the roadway in front of the location and fired shots toward the building before fleeing the scene. There were several victims in the vicinity of where the rounds were fired, but fortunately, only property damage was reported.
As officers and investigators were processing the crime scene, the suspect vehicle was observed driving back toward the crime scene. A lookout was provided, and nearby ACE Units eventually caught up to the suspect and attempted a traffic stop at 3907 Jonesboro Rd.
The driver failed to comply and after releasing a passenger from the suspect vehicle, he led police on a high-speed pursuit which ultimately ended in the area of 2000 Lakewood Ave. after the driver swerved in front of an officer and contacted the front driver-side of the patrol vehicle, effectively performing a PIT maneuver on himself. As officers approached the vehicle, they observed that there were three young children in the vehicle along with the suspect. The children were moved to a place of safety to be treated for complaints of pain as officers worked to extract the driver from the vehicle.
Once the driver was in custody, he was identified as William Burris (born 1984). Mr. Burris is a convicted felon with 37 previous arrest cycles. A firearm was also recovered from the passenger area of the vehicle.
Mr. Burris was ultimately charged with; Fleeing and Eluding Driving While License Suspended Possession of Marijuana Possession of a Controlled Substance Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (X2) Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of Certain Felonies Kidnapping (3X) 1st Degree Cruelty to Children (3X) Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon 2nd Degree Criminal Damage to Property Failure to Report Striking a Fixed Object