Cement truck driver shot after hitting cars, threatening to kill people, officials say

DeSoto County Sheriffs Deputies fired shots at a man who could have ended up killing a lot of innocent people with a cement truck.

It happened Thursday morning at the intersection of Goodman Road and Interstate Boulevard. By Thursday afternoon, the man was out of the hospital and in police custody, charged with five counts of aggravated assault. Sheriff Bill Rasco identified the man as Mike Cowan.

Raven Hammond told FOX13 he saw everything and couldnt believe what he witnessed.

Its kind of crazy really. I was sitting there texting my wife. All of a sudden I heard (SOUND EFFECT). And, then pow, pow, pow. Man, that sounded like gunshots, he said.

Facebook live video given to FOX13 showed the driver of the truck plowed through cars and trucks causing major damage to vehicles.

It was like nine rounds. I went up there to see what was going on. I was like oh my God there is all of these cops. They were shooting at the cement driver, Hammond said.

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Desoto County Chief Sheriffs Deputy Justin Smith told FOX13, It was very clear that he was going to potentially kill somebody, so our deputies opened fire.

According to investigators, deputies began to follow the truck after it was involved in a hit and run in Tunica County.

FOX13 spoke to several drivers involved in the incident including a man who climbed out his truck to get out of danger after it got sandwiched between the cement truck and an 18-wheeler.

He pushed that white pick-up truck plum up to it and it blew out the tires. The guy wouldnt stop in the cement mixer, the man said.

District Attorney John Champion told FOX13 the driver of the cement truck was shot at least once. He was airlifted to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis.

What we got going on right now with the epidemic here in the city and all of a sudden we got all of this craziness going on. Thats nuts, a witness said.

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