(Reuters) -Three law enforcement officers in Georgia were shot and wounded after a traffic stop early on Monday led to a police chase that involved an exchange of gunfire and ended with one suspect dead and another jailed, authorities said.
Georgia State Patrol officers stopped a car speeding at 111 miles (78 km) per hour around 3:30 a.m. EST (0730 GMT) on Interstate 20 in northwestern Georgia's Carroll County, county Sheriff Terry Langley told reporters.
The car's passenger fired a rifle at the State Patrol car, disabling it. The car then fled the scene, leading to a chase that required several law enforcement agencies to be called in for backup.
"We're thankful today that it could have been a lot worse," Carroll County Sheriff Terry Langley said at a news conference. "We pray for the speedy recovery of those officers."
Carrollton police joined the chase; one of that department's officers was struck by gunfire and his car hit a utility pole. The officer was flown to an Atlanta hospital where he was undergoing surgery, Carrollton Police Chief Joel Richards said.
Another officer, a Carroll County sheriff's deputy, was shot in the arm and was being treated at Atlanta Medical Center on Monday.
The suspects sped north toward Villa Rica, where the local police department joined the pursuit. One of that department's officers was struck twice by gunfire and was taken to a nearby hospital, Villa Rica Police Chief Michael Mansour said.
By late Monday morning, one suspect was dead, the other in custody and there was no remaining threat, officials said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was leading an investigation into the incident, probing an officer-involved shooting as well as the aggravated assault against the officers who pursued the suspects, GBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Dockins told reporters.
Police took one suspect into custody "after a negotiation," and he was in Carroll County jail on Monday, Langley said.