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SNELLVILLE, GA — The killers of a Gwinnett County officer have been identified after he was shot and killed on duty Saturday afternoon, police said.
The officer was identified as Antwan Toney, 30, who had been with the department for nearly three years, police said. Toney would have celebrated his three year anniversary at the department in six days. The young officer had no immediate family in Georgia.
Gwinnett County Police Department detectives have charged two men in this crime. The first is Isaiah Pretlow, 19, of Snellville, who has been charged with aggravated assault. Pretlow was taken into custody at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The second is Tafahree Maynard, 18, of Snellville, who has been charged with aggravated assault and felony murder. Maynard is not in custody and should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone encountering Maynard should call 911. Anyone with information on his location should call 770-513-5710.
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In a press release, police said that Toney responded to the scene of the suspicious car at Crumps Landing Road and White Road near Shiloh Middle School in Snellville along with other officers. The officers were dispatched to the scene just after 2:30 p.m.
Detectives believe that Pretlow and Maynard were both in the vehicle during the initial shooting and that Maynard fired the shots that ultimately killed Ofc. Antwan Toney. Pretlow then drove the vehicle from the scene and crashed a short distance away. Pretlow and other occupants fled the crashed vehicle on foot. A short time later, about 3 p.m. another GCPD officer encountered Pretlow while conducting a search of the area. Pretlow pointed a gun at the officer and the officer fired shots at Pretlow. The aggravated assault charge against Pretlow is based on this encounter. Pretlow was not hit and fled into a wooded area. He was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
As the officers parked their cars, got out and approached the suspicious vehicle, shots were fired from inside, police spokesman Jake Smith told reporters, according to a livestream of the briefing posted by WSB-TV. Toney was struck and officers returned fire as they pulled Toney to cover.
The suspects remain at large and police say it is unknown whether any of the suspects in the car were struck by return fire. Toney died from his injuries at Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, police said.
Gwinnett Police Chief Butch Ayers said at a night press briefing that Toney was the fifth Gwinnett County officer killed in the line of duty.
“So at this current time, we are interviewing multiple persons of interest, we’re following up on multiple leads,” Ayers said. “There are no warrants at this time.”
Police are asking for tips from the public in identifying and locating the suspects.
Ayers said the call regarding the suspicious car was an anonymous 911 call where the caller provided a description of the car and believed that those inside the car were probably smoking marijuana.
“What a chief wants to hear is that the officer is OK,” Ayers said. “And when I asked that question, that wasn’t the answer I got.”
The suspicious car was found crashed at the intersection of Ross Road and Calumet Farm Lane. Police say as many as four suspects fled from the crash scene on foot, according to witnesses at the crash scene.
Smith provided the description of one potential suspect that was provided by a witness at the scene. The potential suspect was described by police as a black male with dreadlocks who is 6-feet tall and wearing green sweatpants and a gray shirt.
Police said there are several scenes where officers, SWAT personnel and K-9 units are checking buildings and wooded areas.
Anyone with information can call the Gwinnett police tip line at 770-513-5710.
Patch editor Feroze Dhanoa contributed to this reporting.
Photos courtesy Gwinnett Police Department.