Traffic was being diverted on Hwy. 11 in Social Circle after a police-involved shooting Friday afternoon.

The officer involved pulled over a white pickup truck because its tags were blocked by a spare tire, according to Social Circle Police Chief Terry Sosebee.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has taken over the case, according to police protocol.

According to a press release from the GBI, the driver, Donald Lee Cleary, whose license was issued in Alabama, exited his vehicle and assaulted the female officer.  

The confrontation escalated, and the female officer shot the 78-year-old driver once in the abdomen. The details of how that escalation occurred were not available, but the officer did reportedly suffer minor contusions.

Cleary was in stable condition as of Friday afternoon and had been taken to Atlanta Medical Center via life flight.

The driver's wife was in the passenger seat of the truck with a small dog when the shooting occurred. She was unharmed.

The GBI will conduct a thorough and complete investigation. When the investigation is completed, the results will be turned over to the chief of police and the district attorney.