GCPD Search Lake Lucerne for Hit-and-Run Suspect

Gwinnett Police are searching Lake Lucerne Monday afternoon for a man who reportedly hit a county police car just after midnight Sunday and who hasn't been seen since police dogs traced his scent near the lake.

The man, in his early 20s, drove off after hitting a police car on Highway 78, near Lake Lucerne Drive, Major John Strickland said.

The suspect turned off Highway 78, driving along the lake, then crashed his car into a pole. Witnesses said he fled on foot toward the lake, and dogs traced his scent to a pier.

"The suspect has not turned up yet and his family called the PD, thinking that maybe he’s in the lake because he can’t swim," Cpl. Edwin Ritter said.

The officer whose car was hit had minor injuries and won't be able to work for a week, Major Strickland said.

The suspect was driving "very fast, erratically," Major Strickland said.

A helicopter using infrared technology circled the lake, and a dive team from Forsyth County was on hand to assist in the search.