What was meant to be a fun first day back at Six Flags Over Georgia turned into a series of brawls within the park that ended in gunfire off-campus. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Cobb County officers were involved in the shooting.
Multiple sources reached out to Atlanta about a large police presence outside Austell Park on Saturday evening, which was opening day.
According to the GBI, there were nearly 500-600 people at the park Saturday evening, running and fighting. Cobb County police led the crowd out of the park onto South Service Road when an unknown number of suspects fired shots at the officers.
An officer returned fire, hitting one of the suspects. That person was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Their current condition is unknown.
A spokesperson for the Cobb County Police Department confirmed that the officer was not injured. One vehicle was damaged.
“Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state of the art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park. Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome.
The disruption of public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth is incredibly disappointing for our community. Our commitment to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property is similar to that of other venues in the area. There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot. This took place on South Service Road, which is not owned or operated by Six Flags. However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here.”
Last year, opening day faced a similar ending. After a series of brawls, a large group of teens were taken out of the park.
The legal repercussions of those involved in this year’s incidents are uncertain. Repute Today is working to learn more information about anyone who has been injured.
Drivers are being urged to avoid the area at the moment as police continue to block roadways surrounding the park. The GBI will continue this investigation.
