Gun that fires bean bags used in apprehension of assault suspect in Athens

Athens-Clarke police deployed a gun described as a “less lethal” weapon in order to subdue an Athens man who according to a police report was agitated at being confronted by police over his pending arrest.

The incident occurred about 5:20 p.m. Wednesday outside the Inn Between the Hedges motel on Atlanta Highway as officers converged at the location in search of a man wanted on an aggravated assault warrant.

The assault suspect and two other men were at the motel, where police determined one of the men, a 32-year-old resident of Athens, was also wanted on pending warrants. However, the man became uncooperative when police notified him he would be arrested, according to the report.

Police reported this suspect appeared to be looking for an avenue of escape and he might be headed for the motel room the suspects had just exited.

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The officer fired one round from the 40mm tactical launcher that struck the man in the hip.

After he was hit, the impact resulted in a “change in behavior” and he was placed in handcuffs, according to the report.

Police often use stun guns as less lethal weapons to subdue suspects, but the use of 40mm launcher is used less often. Police spokesman Lt. Jody Thompson said Friday that officers have had access to such guns or launchers for more than 10 years.

The weapons are capable of firing bean ball rounds and pepper ball rounds, he said.

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“It gives you a distance you can’t achieve with a Taser, so you have more distance and more accuracy,” he said.

The launcher has been used in the most recent past to subdue a person armed with a knife and another situation in which a person had barricaded himself.

In this case, police were able to arrest the assault suspect without incident. The suspect shot with the launcher was also found in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, so additional  charges were filed against him, according to police.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Gun that fires bean bags used in apprehension of assault suspect in Athens