Atlanta police offer $200,000 reward for information leading to arrest of suspects behind 'Stop Cop City' arson attacks

A number of law enforcement agencies in Atlanta and Georgia have come together to offer a reward of up to $200,000 for information leading to the arrest of suspects behind a number of arson attacks in and around the state capital allegedly carried out in protest over the construction of the Public Safety Training Center known as "Cop City."

The Atlanta Police Department is leading the charge, with Chief Darin Schierbaum hoping that a financial incentive will entice people with knowledge of the attacks and their perpetrators to come forward.

"We have contended with a very small group of individuals that have worked very hard to impact the quality of safety in Atlanta," Schierbaum said. "They have been using the tool of fire, and the crime of arson to make sure, for whatever motivation, that when a citizen or visitor to the city calls 911, that the individual that shows up doesn't get there quick enough, isn't prepared to do what they're supposed to do when they arrive, and they're not trusted when they arrive or leave."

While announcing the reward, he emphasized the importance of catching the perpetrators, lest they strike again and add to the nearly $10 million in damage the fires have already caused across the state.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, there are currently eight unsolved arson and vandalism cases involving "Stop Cop City" demonstrators, including two police facilities.

As Schierbaum pointed out, in some cases their targets were "not even connected to the construction of the public training safety center."

In one such case in November, a number of vehicles belonging to Ernst Concrete were torched, despite the fact that the company was only providing material for a road outside the site of the center.

In a statement posted to Anarchist Federation, a group falsely claimed that Ernst was "pouring the foundation for Cop City."
 

"There was a time when contractors were afraid to take on this project," the group wrote. "If we can make the cost of the contract greater than the profit, they will drop it. Sneaking around at night is fun and burning sh*t is cool."

They went on to list every Ernst location in Georgia and beyond, and encouraged "further experimentation with incindiary devices."