An arrest was made Thursday in connection to a series of arsons that city officials say are part of targeted attacks by opponents of the Atlanta public safety training center. More arrests are expected to be made soon, according to city officials.
John Robert Mazurek, 30, of Atlanta, was arrested during an early morning raid by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. He is charged with first-degree arson for the July 2023 burning of eight Atlanta police motorcycles.
The motorcycles were parked at the Atlanta Police Department’s special operations precinct on South Industrial Parkway, formerly the Atlanta Police Training Academy. An officer at the precinct when the fires were set was not injured.
Opponents of the training center call the complex “Cop City” and took credit for the arson.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a Thursday press conference that Mazurek was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into dozens of acts of vandalism and arson at police facilities, construction sites and private businesses by opponents of the training center.
“Despite the almost 30-plus arson attacks that have occurred across the state and in this country, we’ve been very fortunate no one has died yet,” Schierbaum said.
Schierbaum said a task force made up of the Atlanta Fire Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, APD and the Georgia State Patrol executed search warrants at 6 a.m. at “three locations to seek evidence connected to acts of vandalism and arson that have occurred over the last few months.”
Two locations were inside the city of Atlanta, the other in unincorporated DeKalb County. Mazurek was arrested at an Atlanta residence.
“More arrests will come. They will come soon,” Schierbaum said. “We’ll continue to hold people accountable so everyone that has been involved in these acts are in jail and before a judge.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended the press conference and praised the city’s law enforcement partners “for taking the first steps to bring the alleged attackers into custody.” The mayor and police chief have called those setting fires at police facilities and construction sites as “professional anarchists.”
“These people are threatening members of the Atlanta City Council, threatening county commissioners, city employees and employees of private businesses and their families,” the mayor said.
“They do not want Atlantans to have safety,” he said. “They do not care about order. They want chaos.”
Last month, a fire was set a southeast Atlanta construction site where townhomes are being built. Police also announced last month a nationwide billboard campaign to advertise up to $200,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of “anarchists” responsible for the arson attacks against the training center.
Despite the attacks, construction has not slowed at the 85-acre complex being built in the South River Forest, according to the city. The complex is 70% complete, the mayor said. It is slated to be completed in December and be operational in January 2025.
