CONYERS, Ga. — Investigators in Rockdale County have recovered two cars belonging to the suspect accused of stabbing an off-duty Atlanta police officer during a road rage incident last week.
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On Thursday, the spokeswoman for the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that deputies had recovered a Volkswagen Passat and Dodge Charger, but the suspect, Justin Perry Hurst, 36, remains on the run. The investigation is now being led by the U.S. Marshals.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. Once he is arrested, Hurst will face charges of armed robbery, aggravated battery and aggravated assault, investigators confirmed.
Hurst is accused of attacking and stabbing Atlanta Sen. Ofc. Tony Black during a road rage incident on Jan.18.
Earlier this week, Seiden spoke exclusively with Black, who spent two days in the hospital after the suspect stabbed him in the face with a boxcutter that left Black with a gaping hole on the side of his face.
“I feel pretty good,” said Black, who joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2003.
“It was just crazy. I didn’t think it was going to go to that point,” Black said.
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The father of three said the chaos started while driving on Interstate 20 near Panola Road.
“I was on my way to my uncle’s birthday party, and I just remember this guy pulled up next to me and started telling me that I cut him off in traffic,” he recounted. “I looked at him and didn’t know what he was talking about.”
Black said he continued driving, but the suspect sped up ahead of him and eventually crashed into the front passenger side of his truck.
“Then he jumps out, runs up to my door and talks more stuff,” he said.
Black said he and the suspect exchanged words before the man sped away, so he called 911 and continued following him down I-20 until the suspect exited the highway in Rockdale County, where he followed him into a parking lot.
The police veteran added that he was getting ready to take a photo of the tag when the suspect attacked him.
“I felt something,” he said. “We both ended up on the ground and tussling around.”
“I’m assuming he struck me several times with that object (boxcutter) and he ended up flattening my tires on my truck to keep me from following him again,” Black said.
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The photos of his injuries are too graphic for TV, but Black said the gaping wound required three layers of stitches.
“I didn’t see it until someone showed me a picture,” he said.
As authorities continue to search for his attacker, Black says he’s focused on his recovery and getting back to his job. He also added that he’s grateful for the treatment he received from the surgeon and her staff at Grady Memorial Hospital.
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