Photo: Atlanta City Police Department
Authorities in Georiga announced they are charging 23 people with domestic terrorism over a violent protest at the construction site of a controversial police training facility, which is known by opponents as "cop city." In January, a 26-year-old protester was fatally shot by police at the site.
The Atlanta Police Department said that dozens of protesters stormed the construction site on Sunday (March 5) and engaged in violent confrontations with officers. They threw rocks and bricks and set some of the construction equipment on fire. No officers were injured in the attack.
"What happened last night was not peaceful protest – it was violence. Plain and simple," Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement Monday. "We will not tolerate this destruction of property, and we will seek to ensure that those who have engaged in this criminal behavior are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
A total of 35 people were detained, but only 23 were charged with domestic terrorism. Officials said that only two suspects were from Georgia, and two were from other countries.
The Atlanta Police Department released video footage showing the violent protesters causing damage to the construction site.