Waffle House fight leads to arrest of target of NE Ga manhunt

A fight in a Waffle House in Dahlonega leads to the arrest of the man Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office investigators described as extremely dangerous: Gerardo Flowers was taken into custody after a high speed chase that ended when Flowers allegedly fired shots at pursuing deputies. It’s the scenario that led to the manhunt that began last weekend: the man who had been wanted on charges in Habersham and Hall counties allegedly shot at deputies who chased him into woods in Lumpkin County.

From WSB TV...

The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office says a man was arrested and stands accused of shooting at officers.

Investigators said Gerardo “Jerry” Jonathan Flowers was being chased along Mt. Olive Church Road and started shooting at the officers, then got out of his car and ran into the woods.

Police told Channel 2′s Tom Regan that the whole thing started when a couple got into a heated argument in a Waffle House parking lot along Highway 60 in Dahlonega.

It got so bad, someone ended up calling 911. That was just the beginning of what was to come.

For 24 hours, state, county and local authorities using tracking dogs and helicopters searched for Gerardo Flowers, whom they called “armed and dangerous.”

On Sunday, a call came from the Waffle House about a fight between a man and a woman.

“He was slashing the vehicle tires, beating on the vehicle. Someone called 911,” said Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard.

When deputies arrived, authorities said Flowers took off in his truck. After a high-speed chase, deputies said he crashed along a country road and began shooting at a deputy.

“He started shooting through the windshield, also through the roof of the vehicle,” Jarrard said. “We gained cover from his vehicle, waited on other units to get there for backup.”

Flowers then ran into the woods.

Early Monday afternoon, they tracked him down to his estranged girlfriend’s home, where he had taken cover.

“We think he was trying to hide inside a closet area,” Jarrard said. “He had been losing blood since the incident, so there was blood at the residence, where we could track him easily.”

“I’m glad no one was injured other than the suspect. With his injuries that he had during the accident, I’m hopeful that he’s OK from that,” Jarrard continued.

The sheriff said the handgun used in the incident has not been recovered at this point. They believe Flowers threw it in the woods.

The deputy who was shot at was not hurt in the incident.

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