A Georgia police officer has been fired after body camera footage revealed that he intentionally hit a fleeing suspect with his patrol car.
Taylor Saulters was fired from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department on Saturday less than 24 hours after an investigation was launched.
A Facebook video of the incident first sparked the internal affairs investigation, but Saulters’ own body camera proved to be even more damaging.
The footage shows the exact moment that Saulters rammed into Timmy Patmon, who was wanted on a felony probation warrant, during a pursuit.
Taylor Saulters (pictured left) was fired from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department on Saturday after he intentionally hit a fleeing suspect with his car

The footage shows the exact moment that Saulters rammed into Timmy Patmon, who was wanted on a felony probation warrant, during a pursuit
In the video Patmon can be seen trying to run away as Saulters closes the distance between them with his car.
Saulters then turns left, trying to block Patmon, but misses and runs into a Stop sign.
As Patmon continues to run down the street, Saulters turns his car to the right and then rams straight into him.
Patmon rolls onto the hood of the car and falls to the pavement, to the shock of numerous witnesses.

In the video Patmon can be seen trying to run away as Saulters closes the distance between them with his car

As Patmon continues to run down the street, Saulters turns his car to the right and then rams straight into him
As Saulters and his partner, officer Hunter Blackmon, put Patmon in handcuffs, a woman screams ‘You just hit that man, oh my god’.
‘You didn’t have to hit that man like that,’ she yells.
The footage also shows Saulters threatening to use a Taser on Patmon while he is already on the ground and being detained by Blackmon.
‘Give us your hands now, or you’re gonna get Tased,’ Saulters says. ‘Do you understand me? Make the right decision.’

As Saulters and his partner, officer Hunter Blackmon, put Patmon in handcuffs, a woman screams ‘You just hit that man, oh my god’

The footage also shows Saulters threatening to use a Taser on Patmon while he is already on the ground and being detained by his partner
Later in the footage, Saulters can be heard telling other officers that he didn’t hit Patmon with his car.
‘I didn’t hit him with the car, I blocked him with the car,’ Saulters says.
‘He ran into the hood of my car and bounced off.’
Saulters later claimed he had tried to stop his car but couldn’t because of a flat tire.

Saulters later claimed he had tried to stop his car but couldn’t because of a flat tire when he hit Patmon in the street

Saulters was immediately suspended following the incident. He was fired the next morning
The officer was immediately suspended following the incident. He was fired the next morning.
‘After reviewing the officers’ body camera footage, and all the other facts and circumstances of this case, Chief Scott Freeman terminated the employment of Officer Taylor Saulters,’ the Athens-Clarke County Police Department said in a statement.
Patmon was taken to the hospital after the incident and suffered ‘scrapes and bruises’.
He was taken into custody after being released from the hospital.