Up-close look at damage from arson attack on Atlanta police motorcycles
Arson attack damages 8 Atlanta police motorcycles
Atlanta officials say the fire that destroyed eight police bikes could have sparked an explosion and brought down an entire building. They say that fire was intentionally set. FOX 5 got an exclusive up-close look at the burned motorcycles. Public safety officials now need to replace those bikes and repair other bikes that sustained less damage.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta fire chief says the arson attack at a police facility could have brought down the entire building.
FOX 5 on Friday got a close-up look at the damage, which destroyed eight motorcycles and damaged several others.
"Each of these bikes carry six to eight gallons of gas," said Rod Smith. "It (incendiary devices) could have sparked an explosion."
The incident at the old police academy on Atlanta's south side was part of a coordinated operation at several locations last Saturday.
"There were eight bikes that were destroyed," said Timothy Peek, a police deputy chief, "but we had several others that we have to repair to get them back in service."
The police chief says individuals who have joined the effort to stop a new public safety training center have claimed responsibility.
There is a multi-jurisdictional effort to find the arsonists. If you have information that leads to arrests, a $15,000 reward has been offered.