Atlanta mayor orders police investigation after 62-year-old man dies during routine stop

ATLANTA - Mayor Andre Dickens announced the city would be releasing findings of an evaluation of police conduct after a 62-year-old man died during a routine stop.

Johnny Hollman was involved in a car crash the night of Aug. 10, according to police. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it happened at around 11:20 p.m. at the intersection of Cunningham Place and Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard.

When an officer arrived to the scene and found Hollman to be the at-fault driver, the GBI said the officer tried to issue a traffic citation. That interaction quickly escalated.

The officer struggled with Hollman to take him into custody. That's when the GBI reported the officer fired his Taser and put the man in handcuffs.

After he was restrained, the officer realized Hollman was unresponsive and medics were called to rush him to a nearby hospital. He was pronounced dead after he arrived.

"Every single life in Atlanta is important and matters to me," the mayor said in a statement issued nearly two weeks later. "Every single death in this city weighs on my heart."

Dickens said he directed Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum to conduct a top-to-bottom evaluation of the interaction with Hollman. He said in the days to come, the results of that evaluation would be shared with the public.

"I have been in touch with the family of Mr. Hollman to express my condolences and the City has provided assistance to them," Dickens added. "My prayers remain with the family and loved ones of Mr. Hollman and with the entire city of Atlanta."

If you have any information about Hollman's death, call the GBI regional investigative office in Conyers at (706) 388-5019 or its tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477).