SANDY SPRINGS, GEORGIA – A man was shot by police after stabbing an officer when they confronted him in a Sandy Springs home while responding to a reported burglary. On Friday, November 19th, around 8:30 a.m., a 911 call was received from a resident of a home on Cameron Glen Drive.
Officers were already nearby, on the scene of another reported burglary on Cameron Ridge Drive. Arriving within minutes, officers entered the home and encountered the suspect. They deployed a Taser on the suspect, which was ineffective. He charged one of the officers and began stabbing him repeatedly in the neck and back. Another officer shot the suspect twice to stop the attack, and a third officer pulled the injured officer from the house. He initiated first aid until the suspect was subdued and it was safe for paramedics to enter the scene.
The homeowners were not injured, and investigators determined that the suspect, Matthew Scott Lanz, 22, of Acworth was also responsible for the earlier Cameron Ridge Drive burglary. He was transported to a hospital for treatment and will be booked into the Fulton County Jail upon release. He has been charged with 35 crimes, including home invasion, possession of a knife during commission of a felony, carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, 2 counts of first-degree burglary, and 10 counts each of felony obstruction, aggravated assault on a police officer and attempted murder on a police officer.
The injured officer was treated for multiple injuries and listed in stable condition. A second officer was slightly injured when he was struck in the hand by a bullet fragment. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting the investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
“We are extremely grateful our police officers were at the right place at the right time to confront this extremely dangerous and armed individual. The quick response by our officers potentially saved the lives of the homeowners, as we now know this suspect had murdered two homeowners previously in a similar burglary in Cobb County. This incident is a testament of the dangers our officers face every day and their commitment to keeping our community safe,” said Sandy Springs Police Chief Ken DeSimone.
Chief DeSimone was referring to the fact that Lanz was also identified as the suspect in a home invasion and double homicide which occurred a day earlier on Verena Drive in Ackworth. He allegedly broke into a home and fatally shot Cherokee County firefighter Timothy Justin Hicks, 31, and his wife, Amber Hicks, 31. The couple’s 2-year-old child was found in the home uninjured and is now safe with relatives.
A fire department spokesperson, speaking of Hicks, said “He was always a highly motivated, energetic individual who deeply loved his job as a firefighter and consistently worked to do better and be better every day. He was really thrilled on his recent accomplishment of completing his paramedic program training. Justin has touched and impacted many lives, and he will be dearly missed.”
In addition to the charges in the Sandy Springs incident on Friday, Matthew Lanz is also facing charges of home invasion, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, 2 counts of aggravated assault and 2 counts of felony murder for the Ackworth crimes.
As if the story couldn’t get any stranger, Matthew Lanz is the brother of Austin William Lanz, 27, who ambushed and fatally stabbed Pentagon Police Officer George Gonzalez at a bus stop near the Pentagon this past August. Officers responding to that attack shot and killed Austin Lanz, and investigators have been unable to determine any motive for the attack.
Authorities say that Austin Lanz also broke into a Cobb County home earlier this year – the same home where his brother Matthew is accused of killing the Hicks on Thursday morning, although they did not live there at the time of the first incident.
