An Athens-Clark County police officer has been fired following an incident where the officer rammed a suspect with his police cruiser, reports ABC News.

Former Officer Taylor Saulters was fired Saturday following an internal investigation of the Friday incident.

“After reviewing the officers’ body camera footage, and all the other facts and circumstances of this case, Chief Scott Freeman terminated the employment of Officer Taylor Saulters,” the police department said in a statement.

Footage from the scene shows Saulters sped behind in a police cruiser after a fleeing man on foot. Saulters makes a hard left to block in the suspect but the man dodges the car and proceeds to run away. Then, Saulters drives right and hits the suspect with the front end of the car.

The fleeing man, identified as Timmy Patmon, was wanted for a felony probation warrant, according to ABC News. Saulters and his partner Officer Hunter Blackmon, who was pursuing Patmon on foot, apprehended the man.

Patmon laid face first on the pavement as the two officers handcuffed him. At one point in the video, Saulters could be heard threatening to tase Patmon as a crowd of people watched on.

“You didn’t have to hit that man like that,” a woman can be heard screaming.

“Give us your hands now, or you’re gonna get Tased,” the officer said in the video. “Do you understand me? Make the right decision.”

In the moments following the incident, Patmon was sent to a nearby hospital and released back into custody while Saulters was placed on administrative leave.

“Athens Police Chief Scott Freeman initially placed Saulters on administrative leave, initiated an internal affairs investigation, and requested that the Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct independent investigations of the incident,” police said in a statement.

Athens-Clark County

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