During Tragic Shoot-Out, ‘Keep It Together’

A series of logging recorder tapes has been released that document the kidnapping of a Clarke County (Geo.) man who escaped from the trunk of his car, officers confronting the suspect, a fatal shoot-out and a pursuit that led to a hostage situation. The tapes were released by the Athens-Clarke County police yesterday, revealing how the robbery victim dialed 911 to report that he had been kidnapped and stuffed into the trunk of his own car. Radio transmissions follow officers as they search for the car. Then, without warning, a radio transmission breaks in with “Officer shot!” A dispatcher immediately picked up a telephone to request an ambulance, saying to himself or someone else, “Keep it together.” As the phone continues to ring, he says with some anger, “Come on. Pick up the damn phone!” More radio transmissions report the suspects have fled, abandoned their car and carjacked another one. Athens-Clarke County police officer Elmer Christian was killed by the suspect and officer Tony Howard was wounded. The suspect surrendered four days later after a stand-off during which he held 10 hostages. Read more about the incident here, and listen to the logging tapes below.