Authorities are searching for a gunman who they say shot and wounded a sheriff's deputy in northeast Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the suspect fired multiple times at deputies Wednesday, striking one officer whose ballistic vest stopped the bullet.

Authorities say the confrontation came after reports that a vehicle was stolen at the Atlanta Dragway, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.

Banks County sheriff's officials say that when their deputies tried to stop the stolen vehicle, the suspect opened fire at them and then fled across Interstate 85.

The deputy was taken to a hospital for treatment. The sheriff described his injuries as not life-threatening.