KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Editor's Note: We originally shared the name and picture of the girl who was the subject of the TBI's Endangered Child Alert. Given the circumstances of the case, we have removed her name and picture.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Knox County Sheriff's Office said a Knox County girl who was the subject of an Endangered Child Alert is safe and the man she was found with was shot and killed by police.
The girl was first reported missing Tuesday night, according to KCSO.
Officials learned that 38-year-old Edward Ahrens was traveling south on I-75 toward Georgia with the girl around 1 a.m. Friday, according to KCSO and the TBI.
Ahrens was a registered sex offender in Georgia, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Sex Offender Registry. He was charged with the sexual exploitation of children in 2008. Multiple agencies, including KCSO and deputies from Catoosa County, Georgia, followed the vehicle as it got off the interstate at Exit 1 in East Ridge, the TBI said.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office, deputies in Georgia first learned Ahrens was a person of interest in the case Thursday evening and was on his way to the county. Investigators located a mobile number that Ahrens was using and confirmed that the girl was with him through a third party, according to a release.
Investigators from Knox County and Catoosa County, with officers from the East Ridge Police Department, tried to pull Ahrens over at around 1 a.m. Friday on an I-75 South exit ramp in East Ridge, according to the release.
At a red light, authorities blocked all four sides of his vehicle and saw the 11-year-old in the front passenger seat. They went to arrest him, but the release said he started ramming law enforcement's cars and hit three officers.
"As a result, at least four officers fired their weapons into the vehicle, striking Ahrens, who subsequently died," the TBI said in a press release.
KCSO said three detectives were hit by the vehicle, but sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The girl was also uninjured, according to a release.
The TBI said an investigation into the shooting remains active and ongoing. During the investigation, KCSO said it won't name the detectives involved and they'll be placed on administrative leave with pay.
"This is another case of a young child being lured by a sexual predator through social media that could have ended a young girl's life," said Gary Sisk in the release, the Catoosa County sheriff. "We have got to find a remedy to better protect our children."
This is a developing story. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.