'Ticking time bomb': APD concerned over suspected arson attack tied to 'Cop City' protests

ATLANTA - Police say an overnight fire at a construction site in southeast Atlanta is believed to be the latest act of arson connected to protests against the city's planned public safety training center.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. at the site on the 2000 block of Memorial Drive. It has since been put out.

FOX 5 cameras saw multiple Atlanta police officers, GBI agents, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms examining construction equipment that had suffered fire damage.

Speaking hours after the fire, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said two people entered the site around 2 a.m. and used three incendiary devices to set two pieces of equipment on fire.

"We do have reason to believe that this was an effort and a continued pattern by individuals who impact our city by stopping the construction of our public safety training center," Schierbaum said. 

The police chief said the fire thankfully did not ignite a fuel tank that was located close to the equipment.

"Homes could have easily been set on fire and the safety of this neighborhood impacted if the fuel tank had caught on fire," he said. "These individuals do not care for our city. They want to harm our city."

FOX 5 has learned the development company responsible for the site had allegedly been previously targeted in January by protesters. At a press conference shortly before noon, Shierbaum confirmed that the construction company on the site is affiliated with building the training center in DeKalb County.

On Jan. 26, a fire broke out at the construction site of the Empire Zephyr townhome project on the corner of Boulevard and Custer Avenue. The fire damaged multiple pieces of construction equipment.

Schierbaum called the series of attacks a "ticking time bomb" that, if they continue to escalate, may lead to an irreversible result.

"Someone is going to lose their life," he said.

RECENT INCIDENTS

• 2 arrested in 'Cop City' protest at Midtown Atlanta construction site
• 'Cop City' protester temporarily disrupts traffic on Peachtree Street Thursday morning
• 3 construction vehicles vandalized in downtown Atlanta, police say
• 'Stop Cop City' claims responsibility for arson to Atlanta police car, chief says
• 'Cop City' activists arrested at construction site in Midtown Atlanta

Atlanta police are asking residents who live near the site who may have footage of the suspected arsonists to contact police as soon as possible. If you have any information that could help with the investigation, call the Georgia Arson Control tip line at 1-800-282-5804 or Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-8477.

There is currently a reward of up to $200,000 for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of anyone involved in the fire.

"We are not going to rest until we have everyone involved in jail," Schierbaum said. 

Debate around the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

Protests against the training center have been ongoing for more than two years.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other supporters say the 85-acre, $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers. Opponents have expressed concern that it could lead to greater police militarization and that its construction in the South River Forest will worsen environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.

Protests against the project, which have at times resulted in violence and vandalism, escalated after the fatal shooting in January 2023 of Tortuguita, an activist who was occupying the forest. A special prosecutor in October 2023 said he would not pursue charges against the state troopers who shot Paez Terán, saying he found that their use of deadly force was "objectively reasonable."

Despite various attacks against the site and contractors’ equipment over the past couple of years, construction on the training center has continued. Supporters say the city must replace outdated facilities and that it is key to better train officers to avoid improper use of force.

Officials say two people have been arrested in connection with the arson attacks. In February, 30-year-old John Robert Mazurek was taken into custody and charged with first-degree arson. Officials believe Mazurek to be responsible for a fire caused by homemade "incendiary devices" early July 1, 2023, at Atlanta police’s current training center on Atlanta's south side that destroyed eight motorcycles. He is currently out on bail.

A second man, 23-year-old Seth Brock Spigner, was arrested after a fire at a South Carolina construction company in January.

The city says the issues caused by protesters have raised the cost of the training center by about $20 million. The site is expected to open in December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.