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extradition pending  ◆  Athens Maxton Ball, 9, killed on Lexington Road at Whit Davis Road  ◆  Troup County Dakota Fuller charged with arson after Jim Turner Road fire  ◆  Waynesboro new judge assigned in ousted sheriff case  ◆  Valdosta 559.4 lbs of marijuana seized in i-75 traffic stop  ◆  Albany apd searching for 2 armed robbery suspects  ◆  Fulton County jail escapee Demetrius Burkes back in custody after downtown search  ◆  Floyd County William Roger Caver charged with felony murder in the death of Christopher D. Freeland  ◆  MARTA service shut at Medical Center station after a man walked onto the tracks  ◆  Milledgeville two sentenced in a federal methamphetamine trafficking case  ◆  Macon woman, 42, dies after being struck by a van on Houston Avenue  ◆  DeKalb County two separate shootings minutes apart, one person dead  ◆  Lawrenceville nine years in federal prison for Gabriel Ojeda Murguia in a fentanyl case  ◆  Smyrna bond denied for a former Ridgeview Institute employee charged in an assault on a patient  ◆  Washington County three arrested in a prison contraband-drop investigation  ◆  Savannah mayor and DA respond after a Daffin Park suspect's arrest history  ◆  Macon Torey Burnette sentenced to life with parole in the death of Zyshown Dunn  ◆  East Point human skull found in the woods; remains unidentified  ◆  McDuffie County Mateo Santos Pinkston held on a murder charge  ◆  Augusta testimony continues in the murder trial over the death of Arbrie Anthony, 8  ◆  Albany murder trial opens for Shaquille Mathis in the 2020 killing of Jawaski Kennedy  ◆  Sparta GBI seeking information on George Wayne Pailloz Jr., 55, missing since late July  ◆  Savannah Charles Teeple sentenced in the 2019 New Year's Eve death of Bruce Helmly  ◆  Dublin state board recommends suspending the city school board; nobody is suspended, Kemp decides  ◆  Cartersville three men indicted on federal forced-labor charges  ◆  Tifton two women charged with aggravated battery in Crescent Ridge attack  ◆  DeKalb County arrests announced over I-285 street takeover near Glenwood Road  ◆  Cornelia family escapes Waterwheel Court house fire during overnight storms  ◆  Gilmer County fallen tree blocked crews reaching a house fire on Highway 382  ◆  SR 316 right-lane closures at Jimmy Daniell Road Thursday and Friday nights  ◆  Vidalia Savannah man charged with murder in the July 4 death of Rashad Lumpkin  ◆  Savannah bond denied for all five charged in Fellwood Homes shooting  ◆  Glynn County sheriff's office defends its release of a veteran with dementia  ◆  Clayton County person shot after encounter between drivers near Highway 138  ◆  Downtown Atlanta man shot near Hurt Plaza in early-morning dispute  ◆  Marietta Messiah Harris, 2, found dead; no one charged with killing him  ◆  McDuffie County Tangla Brown, 48, killed in Old Milledgeville Road accident  ◆  Gainesville Obed Reyes charged in apartment break-in and assault of a teenager  ◆  Albany man found dead at Country Place Apartments  ◆  Albany two killed when van left Wildfair Road and struck a tree  ◆  Barrow County school bus accident on Highway 211, six students taken to a hospital  ◆  Paulding County former Dallas 911 director charged over Flock camera misuse  ◆  Albany structure fire on West Gordon Avenue, no injuries reported  ◆  Savannah man shot in the leg in the 1900 block of Pendleton Street  ◆  Atlanta man killed on I-85 South near Metropolitan Parkway  ◆  I-285 fully closed both directions this weekend, Cascade Rd to MLK Jr. Dr  ◆  Douglas County fourth arrest in Dog River Reservoir death of Jamal Parker  ◆  Warner Robins 14-year-old denied bond in high school shooting case  ◆  Macon woman's body found outside abandoned building on Second Street  ◆  Lithonia Ricardo Fallen, 20, killed in DeKalb County apartment shooting  ◆  Southwest Atlanta Cascade Avenue closed after tree downs power lines and traffic signal  ◆  Buford bystander shot outside Mall of Georgia venue; Jalyn Watkins, 22, charged  ◆  Columbus police search for Keith Teague, 57, missing since July 28  ◆  Warner Robins apartment fire damages eight units, displaces 15 at Village North  ◆  Conyers AutoZone employee shot in the leg; co-worker charged with reckless conduct  ◆  Lamar County Keith Odel, 26, arrested after driver shot at on Lamar County Line Road  ◆  Jonesboro Joshua Scott, 27, killed in Dixon Road shooting; one detained  ◆  Smyrna student arrested after weapon recovered at Campbell Middle School  ◆  Ellenwood Joanne Howell, 70, recovered from Misty Lake after Mattie's Call  ◆  DeKalb County 16-year-old arrested in Rockcliff Road sleepover shooting  ◆  Lawrenceville Camp Perrin Road house fire ruled arson, six adults displaced  ◆  Newnan girl, 14, escapes Highway 154 standoff; man charged  ◆  I-75 Atlanta Akil Lateef Mayer, 34, killed running across the interstate  ◆  Atlanta 85-year-old woman shot on her own porch on Browns Mill Road  ◆  Hazlehurst Terrance McCoy, 16, killed; 2 teens charged with murder  ◆  Vine City Demazio Skelton Jr., 35, killed; Naim Smith, 19, charged with murder  ◆  Marietta scooter rider critically hurt on Powder Springs Road  ◆  Whitfield County tractor-trailer overturns on I-75 near Dalton, SUV driver cited  ◆  Macon 4 hurt in I-75 accident at Eisenhower Parkway, driver fatigue cited  ◆  Atlanta man killed by Norfolk Southern train on Murphy Avenue  ◆  Troup County Ked Hall, 55, of LaGrange killed in Hines Road accident  ◆  Cartersville Connor Smith, 27, killed in Highway 20 motorcycle accident  ◆  Adairsville Ratanza Winters-Gardner, 34, killed; driver charged with vehicular homicide  ◆  Cartersville Brian McLaughlin, 57, killed crossing Highway 41 at Grassdale Road  ◆  Lake Allatoona all 5 aboard ejected in boat accident, no deaths reported  ◆  Macon 3 former Bibb County deputies charged over Flock camera searches  ◆  Bartow County 3 dead in 3 days on Highway 20 and Joe Frank Harris Parkway  ◆  Burke County 4 killed at two scenes, suspect shot dead by deputies  ◆  Albany school bus driver cited after Liberty Expressway accident  ◆  Columbia County 14-year-old killed on I-20 at mile marker 187  ◆  Cobb County Marietta man, 81, killed in Barrett Parkway accident  ◆  Rockdale County lockdowns lifted at two high schools, person in custody  ◆  Pulaski County Fred Hitchcock, 75, killed on Eastman Highway near Hawkinsville  ◆  Dooly County 1 killed on Highway 27 after a deer strike near Vienna  ◆  Cartersville Marcus Maurice Williams, 31, killed by Bartow County deputy  ◆  I-85 NB reopened at mile marker 136 after fatal 5-vehicle accident  ◆  Bulloch County Statesboro woman killed on Old River Road  ◆  North Georgia 2 critically injured in plane crash, NTSB investigating  ◆ 
The Local Alert
Friday, August 14, 2026
Atlanta, Georgia

Georgia · Newton County · Developing

Covington GA Police Officer Dragged During Highway 142 Traffic Stop; Manhunt Underway

The car dragged the officer a few hundred yards before it turned and threw him off, Covington police said. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. The driver has not been found.

By Published Aug. 14, 2026, 7:35 p.m. ET 3 min read Developing

Key facts

What
A Covington police officer was dragged by a car during a traffic stop, then thrown from it
Where
Highway 142 in Covington, Newton County — accounts of the landmark differ (see below)
When
Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 — about 5 p.m., per FOX 5 Atlanta
Injured
One officer, taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta
Agency
Covington Police Department
Driver
Not named and not described. Police are looking for the driver and the car
Charges
None announced
Status
Search underway Friday evening
What's in this report

What happened at the Covington traffic stop?

A Covington police officer was dragged by a car during a traffic stop on Highway 142 in Covington on Friday afternoon and was taken to a hospital, the Covington Police Department said.

The car pulled the officer along for a few hundred yards, then turned and threw him off, a department spokesperson told Atlanta News First. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police put the time at about 5 p.m.

The Covington News described a video of the stop that a reader sent the paper through Facebook. In it, an officer stands at the window of a car pulled over by several Covington units and reaches inside. The car accelerates and swings onto Highway 142 with the officer still holding the driver's door. He comes off it moments later.

Officers are searching for the driver and for the car, WSB-TV reported. WSB Radio described a manhunt underway in Newton County on Friday evening.

Where on Highway 142 did it happen?

Accounts of the landmark differ. FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First placed the stop at the QuikTrip on Highway 142. The Covington News, which shares a publisher with the Rockdale Citizen, placed it near the Taco Bell on the same highway.

Highway 142 runs through Covington, the seat of Newton County, east of Atlanta.

What condition is the officer in?

The officer was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. WSB-TV and Atlanta News First described him as being in stable condition.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police called him stable while saying his condition was unknown, and that his exact injuries were also unknown. WSB Radio likewise reported that the extent of his injuries was not known.

His name has not been released.

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Why was the car pulled over?

WSB-TV and WSB Radio, both Cox Media Group outlets, reported that the officer made the stop after a shoplifting call at the QuikTrip on Highway 142.

Has anyone been arrested?

No. Police were still looking for the driver on Friday evening, and no charges have been announced against anyone.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the Covington Police Department had not released the name or a description of the person it was looking for, and had not said which way that person went after the officer came off the car.

What we don't know yet

  • The officer's name, and how badly he was hurt
  • Who was driving, and whether that person has been found
  • What the car looks like
  • What happened inside the car in the seconds before it pulled away
  • Whether charges will be filed, and what they would be

Frequently asked questions

What happened to the Covington police officer?
He was dragged by a car during a traffic stop on Highway 142 in Covington on Friday afternoon, Aug. 14, 2026. Covington police said the car pulled him along for a few hundred yards before it turned and threw him off.

Where in Covington did it happen?
On Highway 142 in Newton County. FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First placed the stop at the QuikTrip. The Covington News and the Rockdale Citizen placed it near the Taco Bell on the same highway.

What condition is the officer in?
He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. WSB-TV and Atlanta News First described him as stable. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that police called him stable while saying his condition was unknown, and WSB Radio reported that the extent of his injuries was unknown.

Has the officer been identified?
No. Covington police have not released his name.

Why was the driver pulled over?
WSB-TV and WSB Radio reported that the stop followed a shoplifting call on Highway 142.

Has anyone been arrested?
No. Police were still searching for the driver and the car on Friday evening, and no charges have been announced.

Have police released a description of the driver or the car?
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the Covington Police Department had not released the name or a description of the person it was looking for.

Which agency is handling the case?
The Covington Police Department, the city police force in Covington, the seat of Newton County.

Sources

About this report

Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the named news outlets linked above and from Covington Police Department statements carried in them. This is a developing story and reflects what was confirmed at the time of publication. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Anyone named in connection with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.

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Every source linked here was opened and verified at that time. This report reflects what was known and confirmed at that moment and is not updated automatically as a story develops. For the current status of an active investigation, contact the agency named above.

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