STAFF REPORT :::
The Georgia Information and Analysis Sharing Center has conducted a preliminary analysis of data regarding protest-related arrests in Fulton County from May 29 through June 1 that revealed more than 15 percent – 57 of the 370 arrested – were from out-of-state, five were homeless and the majority – 294 – were Georgia residents.
Some of the arrested are still being affirmatively identified, and authorities say they may have provided false information upon arrest.
The GBI said most of the individuals arrested did not have any prior criminal history. However, there were numerous – more than 30 – instances in which a person arrested had what the GBI described as a “significant criminal history including charges that could be consistent with prior involvement in violent civil unrest.”
One example is a Florida man – a convicted felon – who the GBI says had multiple charges of obstruction, trespassing and assault charges out of Missouri near the time of the Ferguson civil unrest. This Florida resident was arrested in Atlanta and live-streamed his post-arrest detainment to social media while handcuffed with the Atlanta Police Department.
Another instance involved a 34-year-old man from Minnesota arrested in Atlanta. Agents are now working to confirm if he was involved in the Minneapolis riots prior to his travel to Georgia.
At least ten arrestees were bonded out by one out-of-state individual, which the GBI says suggests coordination and outside influence.
Of those arrested in Atlanta and Fulton County, authorities say the most common criminal history charges among those arrested included willful obstruction, terroristic threats and acts, providing a false name or date of birth to a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault.
Multiple arrestees had active warrants at the time of their arrest. The youngest person arrested was 17 and the oldest was 69, with the average age being 24.
In addition to Georgia residents, arrestees came from Alabama, Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, North Carolina, Maryland, California, New Jersey, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Florida, New York, Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kansas and South Carolina.
This GBI-GISAC analysis is preliminary and based off arrest data currently available. It is expected to change as additional arrest logs from the Atlanta Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are submitted.’
The GBI-GISAC is coordinating with federal law enforcement as well as multiple states across the region to deconflict arrest data and link associations for individuals who traveled to multiple states for violent engagement.
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