On March 5, 2023, a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers. They changed into black clothing, entered the construction area, and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers. The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism.
Multiple law enforcement agencies deployed to the area and detained several people committing illegal activity. 35 agitators were detained, and upon further investigation, 23 agitators were arrested and charged with Domestic Terrorism. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Investigations (GBI) is the charging agency.
The illegal actions of the agitators could have resulted in bodily harm, and clearly do not reflect a peaceful demonstration. Thankfully, officers exercised sound judgment and restraint while conducting non-lethal enforcement and arrests. With protests planned for the coming days, the Atlanta Police Department, in collaboration with law enforcement partners, have a multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrests.
The Atlanta Police Department asks for this week’s protests to remain peaceful.
Original source can be found here.
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