6 ATL Officers Face Charges After Incident With College Students

ATLANTA, GA — Six police officers now face criminal charges after the arrest of two students from Spelman and Morehouse College over the weekend. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard on Tuesday announced during a news conference who the officers are and which charges each faces.

The students, 20-year-old Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim and 22-year-old former Morehouse College student Messiah Young, were captured on camera being surrounded by Atlanta police right before they were tased and pulled out of their vehicle.

Attorney Mawuli Mel Davis, who represents Young, said he is “prayerful” that the charges will lead to a conviction in the case. He said the officers must be held accountable for the incident.

“These are good young people who are doing good things and who have a bright future," he said. "Unfortunately, we have been here many, many times before where officers are arrested and so we are prayerful, hopeful that this will go to its full conclusion and these officers will not only be arrested, but indicted and convicted.

The two Atlanta police officers who are seen in the video using force to arrest the students were fired. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the officers' termination on Sunday.

She said a total of five officers were involved in the incident, but after reviewing the video, it was decided that two would be fired and the other three placed on desk duty. The officers who were fired have been identified as Ivory Streeter and Mark Gardner, who were both members of APD's fugitive unit, said Atlanta police.

The charges announced by Howard are as follows:

• Ivory Streeter: Aggravated assault on Pilgrim (used taser); pointing or aiming gun on Young
• Mark Gardner: Aggravated assault on Pilgrim (used taser)
• Lonnie Hood: Aggravated assault on Young (used taser); aggravated assault and simple battery on Pilgrim (used taser)
• Willie Sauls: Aggravated assault on Pilgrim (pointed taser); criminal damage to property (car)
• Armond Jones: Aggravated battery of Young (forcefully thrown unto paved street); pointing or aiming a gun at Young
• Roland Claud: Criminal damage to property (car)

A $10,000 signature bond has been set and the officers have until Friday to turn themselves in.

Pilgrim called the incident "ridiculous" and said she hopes that every police officer is held accountable.

“I feel safer now that these monsters are off the street and no longer able to terrorize anyone else,” Young said. "Moving forward we need to make sure all officers are held accountable and that there really is change moving forward within the culture of policing."