A US suspect left his good luck behind when he abandoned a winning lottery ticket while fleeing sheriff’s officers.

Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said the man had a Georgia Lottery scratchcard worth 100 dollars (£77) when he ran away during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 on Monday.

In a Facebook post, officers offered their congratulations and invited him to claim the ticket at a station in Canton, about 40 miles north of Atlanta.

The man, who was not identified, was later taken into custody, Captain Jay Baker told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Mr Baker said the man was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for a licence plate violation, and he ran into nearby woods.

The lottery ticket was in a backpack that also contained methamphetamine, according to Mr Baker.

The man can have the lottery ticket back, but the sheriff’s office said it will keep the drugs.