DeKalb DA Withdraws From Prosecuting Atlanta Training Center Arrests

DECATUR, GA — DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston has removed her office from any current cases relating to the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, according to a news release issued Friday.

The district attorney's office will still address future cases should there be additional arrests at the future site of the training center, near Constitution and Key roads. The center has come to be known to protesters as "Cop City."

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office will now handle prosecution of pending cases relating to the center, according to the release. All stakeholders, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Carr's office have been notified of Boston's decision.

“My team and I have worked diligently to reach a consensus with the attorney general’s office on charging decisions in these cases,” Boston said in the release. “At this point, I have decided it is best that we allow them to move forward with the charges they feel are warranted.”

Carr issued a statement Friday via Twitter, saying his office will continue moving forward with the prosecution of "violent acts" surrounding the training center.

"If you shoot police officers, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, vandalize private homes and businesses and set fire to police vehicles and offices, you will be held accountable," Carr said in the statement. "We will not waiver when it comes to keeping Georgians safe and putting a stop to violent crime in our state."

Boston and her office were part of a multi-jurisdictional team that was investigating and prosecuting alleged acts of domestic terrorism and related charges at the training center's future site. Law-enforcement agencies have had a "difference in prosecutorial philosophy" in the last several months, according to the release.

The news comes nearly five months after Boston recused herself from reviewing the investigative file and pursuing any possible prosecution in the shooting of a Georgia State Patrol trooper and the killing of the person accused in the shooting at the future site of the training center.

The shooting happened around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, where a multi-jurisdictional task force was clearing out people from the scene.

The person accused in the shooting was a nonbinary person who went by the name Tortuguita and used they/it pronouns. Tortuguita died at the scene. Boston said on Jan. 25 the trooper was critically wounded in the shooting.

Seven people were arrested the day of the shooting on unrelated charges of domestic terrorism.

Boston said her recusal was due to the involvement of the district attorney's office in the joint task force at the time. The Prosecuting Attorneys Council was tasked with assigning new council to the case.

The training center has been at the forefront of a battle between law enforcement and protesters who are against the building of the center for environmental concerns. Atlanta city officials have promised to protect the forest in the building of the center. The Atlanta Police Foundation will oversee the $90 million facility.

Three people were charged in late May for money laundering in connection with financial crimes at the future training center site. The GBI told Patch at the time no additional information was available on the financial crimes.

The Atlanta City Council voted on June 6 with an 11-4 vote to approve construction for the public safety training center, the Atlanta Journal Constitution previously reported. Taxpayers in the City of Atlanta will allocate $67 million toward the center, according to the outlet.