Bricks, rocks, flares, and Molotov cocktails were thrown, according to the police.
Several people were detained in Atlanta on Sunday night after allegedly hurling Molotov cocktails, rocks, pyrotechnics, and bricks at police near the site of a future public safety training complex.
Around 5:30 p.m. ET, a group of people changed into black clothing and entered the construction site after attending an event close to the future location of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. The “agitators” approached the police and “organized an attack,” according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Darin Schierbaum, the chief of police in Atlanta, stated at a press conference on Sunday evening, “This is not a demonstration.” This is unlawful behavior.”
When authorities from various law enforcement agencies arrived, the policemen “executed restraint” and maintained their position while “using non-lethal enforcement” to apprehend at least 35 individuals, some of whom were not locals, according to the police. There were more arrests being made, and Monday is when the suspects’ names and the charges they face are scheduled to be made public.
In order to disrupt the construction of a fire and police training center, a number of people who are present tonight who are not from Atlanta, Georgia, are continuing to engage in criminal activity, Schierbaum informed reporters.
Police stated that “the illegal conduct of the agitators could have resulted in bodily harm” despite the fact that no cops were hurt during the event. Some of those who were apprehended had minor wounds. According to the authorities, the incident resulted in the destruction of several pieces of construction equipment at the site by fire and vandalism.
Schierbaum continued, “This wasn’t about a public safety training facility.” This was an attempt to destabilize, and it was about chaos.
Authorities are still looking into the event. A probe is also being carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Since its proposal in 2021, the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, sometimes referred to as “Cop City” by its opponents, has been the focal point of escalating protests and altercations. The city-approved facility is being constructed on 85 acres of a 400-acre parcel of land held by the city in unincorporated DeKalb County that is a part of the broader South River Forest, or “Weelaunee,” as the area’s native inhabitants refer to it.
The remaining 315 acres of the property will be preserved “as restored and improved green space for ecological protection and the public’s enjoyment as part of the larger South River Forest initiative,” according to the city. The training center “will support high-quality, community-oriented training for police, fire, and E-911 personnel.”
Opponents opposing the proposed facility have stated that they regret both the expansion of the forest and the militarization of law enforcement.
The upcoming days are anticipated to see further protests. The Atlanta Police Department stated that its officers, “in concert with law enforcement partners, have a multi-layered approach that includes reaction and arrest” while urging “peaceful” protests.
The GBI is looking into many law enforcement officials in the fatal shooting of an environmental activist on January 18 while conducting a raid on demonstrators camping out in the forest. This is when the skirmishes on Sunday took place. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency on January 26 as a result of numerous, largely peaceful protests that took place in downtown Atlanta in response to the death of 26-year-old Manuel Esteban Paez Teran.