WRENS., Ga. - A Wrens County man was arrested and is now charged with aggravated assault after officials say he shot a man who was running from police, Saturday.

Sources close to the man tell NBC Augusta 26 News that he was just trying to help, but for now he's in jail until police know more about the condition of the suspect, who deputies say is critical.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the chase started when a deputy tried to pull over a man who was illegally passing cars on a highway between Wrens and Louisville.

Bryan Lane, 24, from Louisville, led the deputy on a five-minute high speed chase where speeds reached more than 100 miles per hour.

Investigators say Lane pulled off onto a dirt road and ran, leaving behind his 24-year-old pregnant girlfriend - this is when deputies say 56-year-old Andrew Swan stepped in.

Swan is the owner of the property Lane drove onto and started running across.

Sources say Swan was tending to his livestock and noticed Lane running from police, so Swan started chasing him on an ATV.

Swan fired a few warning shots with a handgun he had inside the vehicle after yelling at Lane to stop.

Lane didn’t stop, so Swan fired once directly at him and brought him down.

Swan then stopped a passing motorist and asked the driver to call 911.

Officers arrested Swan and charged him with aggravated assault.

"You can’t shoot someone unless you’re in fear of your life or someone else’s life. If you’re in fear of your life or of a third person’s life, then you can use deadly force. In this case, we don’t believe deadly force was necessary,” Lt. Robert Chalker.

Lane is now in MCGHealth where he is in guarded condition.

His girlfriend was arrested at the scene and later released. She has not been charged.

Jefferson County police do plan to charge Lane with several traffic violations when and if he comes out of the hospital.

NBC Augusta 26 News brings you straight to the point news, weather, and sports from Augusta and the CSRA. Meet our NBC Augusta 26 News staff!