Manhunt Over as Authorities Arrest Trio

Updated 7 p.m.

officials say the three men sought during a 24-hour manhunt are now in law enforcement custody at the . While one was apprehended earlier today, the remaining two were arrested around 5 p.m.

The trio are charged with aggravated assault on a police officer and traffic violations in connection with the Sunday pursuit through Bartow County and Cartersville in which shots were allegedly fired at a state trooper.  

Authorities say the incident began when a lookout was posted by Bartow County 911 for a Honda Civic. A caller reported the occupants had fired a gun at a passing vehicle on Interstate 75 in Bartow County.  

"The trooper located the vehicle on GA Highway 20 and a pursuit was initiated as the trooper attempted to pull the vehicle over," a press release states. "Shots were fired at the patrol car during the pursuit and as the three fled from the vehicle off GA 20 in Cherokee County.

"The suspects ran into a heavily wooded area, and numerous federal, state and local law enforcement officers searched for the trio throughout the night."

Authorities identified the men as Arturo Aceves Ramires, 22, of Smyrna and Jose Salvador Vera Lule, who is in his early 20s. The third man's identity has not yet been confirmed.

The trooper involved was not injured.

Updated 1 p.m.

The man led out of the woods in handcuffs was captured in a photograph by The Daily Tribune News. The newspaper reported he was not armed but had a cellphone.

Authorities were attempting to "ping" cellphones of the other two men, for whom the search continues, according to the newspaper. A second sweep of the woods is expected this afternoon.

Updated 12:15 p.m.

Capt. Paul Cosper confirmed one of the trio was apprehended in the woods and taken to the for questioning.

Cosper, who said authorities are optimistic the other two men will be found and arrested, was unable to provide details, but he said the man in custody had apparently been in the woods all night in "chilly" conditions.

The man's identity could be released later, but Cosper said now the search for the other two men continues.

Updated 10:45 a.m. Monday

Authorities are still searching for three men who fired on a state trooper Sunday near Cartersville in Bartow County.

Capt. Paul Cosper said law enforcement agencies from Bartow, Cherokee, Paulding and GSP tactical units are combing through 5,500 acres of woods between Upper Sweetwater Trail off Ga. 20 and Lake Allatoona. The "systematic search" will continue until all the acreage is covered, he added.

"They could still be there," Cosper said. "Whether they are or not, we don't know."

Investigators also are digging into the incident that led to the trooper's involvement—the trio reportedly fired at motorists on I-75, which prompted the law enforcement response.

Cosper confirmed the state trooper's car was hit several times. Police scanner traffic, which is available on Bartow County Scanner's Facebook page, indicated the trooper's windshield was hit.

Updated 5:30 a.m. Monday

Police have established a command post in Bartow County close to the Cherokee County line while continuing the search for the three gunmen this morning.

Those men fired on a state trooper on two occasions Sunday, Georgia State Patrol Troop A commander Capt. Joe Hamby told WSB-TV:

• First, when the trooper spotted their Honda Civic on the interstate and gave chase after a report was made of shots fired from the Civic at a sport-utility vehicle.
• Second, when the men ran from the car into the woods near Woodall Road and Upper Sweetwater Trail south of Highway 20.

The massive manhunt involved at least one police dog, WSB’s report showed.

Original Report

Acworth police joined a chase Sunday afternoon after shots were fired on Interstate 75.

The police chase started in Bartow County and continued into Cherokee after three men ran into the woods when their car crashed near Upper Sweetwater Trail, the reports. The men remained on the run Sunday night.

The men, believed to be Hispanic, are considered armed and dangerous. Shots were fired, but no injuries were reported, according to the Ledger-News.

The three men fired at motorists on Interstate 75 about 4 p.m. Sunday in the area where Cherokee, Bartow and Cobb counties converge, then exited at Highway 20 and fired on state troopers, The Daily Tribune News reported.

The Cartersville newspaper said the search for the men included the , the , the , the Georgia State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources.