ATLANTA – Atlanta police have released a new 911 call that sheds light on a fight earlier this week between an off-duty officer and an employee at a Midtown LGBTQ+ bar.
Officer Garrett Rolfe, who was once charged in the deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks, is on administrative leave while authorities investigate the fight.
MORE: Officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in Midtown bar fight as customer
The backstory:
Officials say the incident happened at the X Midtown club on Piedmont Avenue early Sunday morning.
X Midtown’s owner said Rolfe was in the bar as a customer when the incident started.
Investigators said Rolfe, who was off duty at the time, and another man, Raefeael Penrice, got into a verbal argument. The argument escalated into a physical dispute, police said.
Raefeael Penrice (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)
What we know:
In the newly released 911 footage, Penrice said that Rolfe and another man had been asked to leave the bar but refused to go.
“I have a guy here claiming to be APD, and he keeps following me,” Penrice says. “I’m in the back doing my job, like taking out the trash, and the guy followed me to the back of the alley and he has a phone on me – asking me all kinds of questions and stuff like that.”
When asked by the 911 responder if the man was wearing a uniform, Penrice said that he wasn’t and “he and his buddy have been drinking.”
Officer Garrett Rolfe (Atlanta Police Department) (Atlanta Police Department)
Penrice said that one of the men “brandished something” and that he was worried that they had a weapon.
At the end of the call, you can hear one of the men confront Penrice, saying that he was “not allowed to put your hands of somebody.” The other man then says that he never asked them to leave the bar.
What they’re saying:
On Tuesday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said he’s spoken with APD’s chief about the incident.
“The Mayor has spoken to the Chief about this matter and expressed his concerns. Anytime any employee—especially a police officer—is involved in any incident, he is concerned and expects a full and thorough impartial investigation. That is what is underway now. Officer Rolfe has been relieved of duty pending an investigation,” the Mayor’s Office said in a statement to FOX 5.
What’s next:
Officers arrested and charged Penrice with simple battery and battery. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail.
Rolfe was placed on administrative leave, beginning Sunday, pending an investigation by the Atlanta Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards.
So far, police have not released any bodycam footage of the incident.
The Source: Information for this report came from a 911 call released by the Atlanta Police Department and previous FOX 5 reporting.
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