VALDOSTA, Ga. – On December 20, 2019, at approximately 3:13 p.m., a Valdosta Police Department patrol officer was in the 100 block of North Troup Street, when she observed a vehicle driving erratically.
As the vehicle struck the back of another vehicle, the driver, later identified as Heyward Nash, jumped from the vehicle and began to run on foot. Officers began to chase Nash when he jumped in the bed of a pickup that was driving through the area. When the driver of the pickup truck stopped abruptly, Nash jumped out of the truck and continued to run from officers.
Nash then grabbed a female who was trying to get into her vehicle outside of business and tried to force his way inside of her vehicle, which had a small child in the backseat.
The female attempted to keep Nash from getting into her vehicle, which gave officers enough time to catch up with him. Officers physically pulled Nash from the vehicle and tried to take him into custody. Nash began violently physically resisting the officers. Nash pulled two separate Conducted Energy Weapons from two officers, and he deployed them attempting to hit the officers. During the struggle with numerous officers and detectives, Nash attempted to bite several officers, making contact with one officer’s forearm, and he attempted to pull several firearms from officers’ holsters. Nash was eventually secured and placed in a patrol vehicle to be transported to Lowndes County Jail. During the transport of Nash, he pulled a piece of radar equipment out of the back window of a patrol car and tried to continue to damage the patrol vehicle. Through investigation, it was later determined that the vehicle Nash was driving had been stolen earlier in the day. Several officers received minor abrasions during the struggle and several pieces of equipment were damaged. Nash was transported to Lowndes County Jail on the following charges:• Theft by taking motor vehicle-felony;• Aggravated assault-felony;• Removal or attempted removal of a weapon from a Public Official- 2 counts- felony;• Interference with Government Property-felony;• Obstruction of an officer-3 counts-felony;• Obstruction of an officer-misdemeanor; and• Numerous traffic offenses. “We are thankful that no citizens or officers were seriously injured with this offender’s reckless disregard for others during his careless actions. The outcome of this incident could have been much worse. We are grateful for the citizens who tried to assist our officers in getting the dangerous person off the streets.” Chief Leslie Manahan.
