The suspect charged with hitting two Gainesville police officers with her car Tuesday was convicted of similar charges in Hall County as recently as 2010.

According to jail records, Tracey Marie Dean, 42, was convicted in August 2010 for possession of cocaine, crossing the guard line, open container and a suspended license.

In that incident, Dean was pulled over due to a tail-light violation. Tuesday’s incident began much the same way, with the incident report saying the responding officer had attempted to initiate a traffic stop for a tail-light violation.
Dean eluded the traffic stop, hitting two Gainesville police officers and their vehicles. The officers shot at Dean, who drove away.

She was found a short time later, less than half a mile from the traffic stop at Bowman Drive and Skelton Road in Gainesville.

Dean is charged with the following: center turn lane violation; no headlights after dark; failure to maintain lane (two counts); run stop sign; hit and run; failure to report accident with injury; no seat belt; criminal interference with government property; possession of cocaine; DUI; possession of a drug-related object; driving with suspended license; driving with suspended registration; improper transfer of a tag; no insurance; obstruction (felony); and failure to stop at accident with damage.

After being located, Dean was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for treatment for injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. There were no records of her at the hospital Friday afternoon. She goes by several aliases, according to Sgt. Stephen Wilbanks, spokesman for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident report identifies the responding officer but not the second officer involved. Both officers are expected to be identified once the GBI investigation is complete.

“As you can tell, (the officers) have gone through a traumatic process,” police spokesman Cpl. Kevin Holbrook said. “We do try to protect those officers as they are going through trying times.”

Both officers were treated and released with minor injuries, though Holbrook would not comment on the nature of their injuries. They are back at work on administrative assignment, he said.

Holbrook did not know if Dean was still in the hospital, or had been booked into the jail. She was not listed in the inmate population as of Friday afternoon.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation continues to handle the case, and the Gainesville Police Department is also conducting its own internal inquiry, Holbrook said. A GBI spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.