A group of men allegedly involved in an organized crime ring were arrested for fraud in Grovetown on Friday afternoon.
Columbia County sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris said the men tried to cash illegitimate checks at Lewiston Express convenience store on Lewiston Road. When the store’s manager, Kinjalkumar Patel, confirmed this, the suspects fled and Patel followed. Patel fired a shot at one of the fleeing vehicles heading towards him. Patel was hit as the vehicle left the scene, but Morris said he was not injured.
A deputy in the area heard yelling, relayed the information to dispatchers, and the sheriff’s office responded.
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A witness helped deputies find and stop one of the fleeing vehicles at William Few Storage. Four suspects fled on foot, but two were quickly detained. The K9 tracking team found and detained a third suspect on William Few Parkway. The team tracked a fourth to I-20 behind the storage facility, but was unable locate them. It was later determined that a fifth suspect ran towards Columbia Road, but also could not be found.