DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced Friday that she was withdrawing her office from the prosecution of the cases tied to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
The property that the new training facility sits on is in DeKalb County and the DA’s office “has been part of a multi-jurisdictional group of law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating and prosecuting acts of domestic terrorism and related charges occurring in and around the future site of the training center,” Boston’s office said.
Boston said she and her team have had ongoing conversations between her office and law enforcement, and those conversations “have revealed a fundamental difference in prosecutorial philosophy.”
RELATED STORIES:
- DA recuses her office from investigation into trooper shooting at training facility site
- ‘Rats, rust and mold:’ Why old APD training facility isn’t making the cut, chief says
- Police, construction crews moving into site of proposed APD training facility
- Protesters against police training facility demonstrate throughout downtown Atlanta for 4th day
The DA said her office will be notifying the Georgia Attorney General’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about her 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. “At this point, I have decided it is best that we allow them to move forward with the charges they feel are warranted.”
Boston said the AG’s office will now handle the prosecution of these cases.
Channel 2 Action News contacted the AG’s office, which sent us a statement, saying:
“While the District Attorney has decided to no longer assist in this case, our office is fully committed to moving forward with the prosecution of those who have engaged in or supported violent acts surrounding the Public Safety 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. We will not waver when it comes to keeping Georgians safe and putting a stop to violent crime in our state.”
©2023 Cox Media Group
