NATCHEZ &8212; Two sheriff&8217;s deputies fired at a man and later arrested him Friday following an incident on East Oak Street.

At 3 p.m., Investigators Jody Waldrop and Robert Brown were looking for a suspect in a case when they were working, Adams County Sheriff Ronny Brown said.

They saw a group of people standing around, and when one threw an object on the ground and walked on &8212; a common practice in trading drugs &8212; the deputies pulled over, Brown said.

The deputies stepped out of the car to talk with the crowd and investigate the item. One man in the crowd, Anthony Donnell Williams, 32, 506 Rankin St., knocked Robert Brown down, the sheriff said.

Williams allegedly tried to shoot Robert Brown with a handgun. The gun misfired, and Williams got in his car and drove away, Sheriff Brown said.

The deputies chased him one street down from Williams Street to Oak Street, where one deputy shot several bullets into the body of the car, the back windshield, the steering wheel and a tire.

During the chase, Williams hit two cars, but there were no injuries, Brown said.

Williams got out of his car, and the deputies arrested him, Brown said.

One of his hands had what looked like a bullet scrape, but aside from that, he was not injured. Neither deputy was hurt.

&8220;It could have been a lot worse,&8221; Brown said. &8220;He could have killed our guy. We could have killed him. He&8217;s lucky, and our guys are real lucky.&8221;

The sheriff&8217;s office confiscated Williams&8217; gun, some money and drugs, Brown said.

The cigar-sized package contained a green leafy substance, Investigator Ricky Stevens said. The contents will be tested.

Williams, who has a criminal record, is being charged with assault on a law officer and fleeing from a law officer, a felony, Brown said.

Other charges will be filed after the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation looks into the incident.

Meanwhile, he is being held at the county jail without bond.

Both deputies are on administrative leave with pay and are being provided with counseling, standard policy, Brown said. They will remain on leave until the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has finished its investigation of the incident.

An outside agency must handle investigations.

&8216;This is the first shooting we&8217;ve had since I&8217;ve been sheriff,&8221; Brown said. &8220;I don&8217;t remember any incident where a sheriff shot someone.&8221;