'Stop Cop City' agitators take credit for torching Atlanta Police car, police search for suspects

A suspected arson burning of a police car Saturday morning in the Lakewood Heights neighborhood of Atlanta was determined to be connected to the Antifa-connected Defend the Atlanta Forest and Stop Cop City organizations.

In a statement, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum revealed that Antifa took credit for the arson attack. "As that investigation played out, a group commonly known as Defend the Atlanta Forest or Stop Cop City took claim of that arson," he said.

In the neighborhood of residents of this city, they claimed, took responsibility for setting fire to the police car that is used to protect this city,” Schierbaum added.

A search warrant was then obtained to search a residence in connection to the fire but were still looking for the individuals responsible because they fled the house.

"I want to note a couple of things here. We are not going to allow, as a police department or law enforcement community, for this city to be held hostage to fear and intimidation from fire," Schierbaum said.

"In the last 72 hours, we have served four search warrants, collecting evidence for a series of fires that have taken place. On Thursday morning we took into custody an individual we believe and have alleged to be a key participant of those arsons. The citizens of Atlanta, are residents of a first-class city and they deserve and should expect first-class first responders of their fire and police departments."

"An attempt to use fire to incite fear to stop the building of a training center that is vital to us being a first-class city protected by first-class first responders will fail," he warned.

"This is a group that have now for almost two years have set dozens of fires trying to intimidate the politicians of this city, the law enforcement in this city, as well as the contractors to stop building the public safety training center. They took claim for that fire today."

On Thursday, John Robert Mazurek, 30, was charged with first degree arson and is accused of being involved in the arson attack against a police special operations center in July 2023, in which eight motorcycles were set on fire in a parking deck on the 1000 block of South Side Industrial Park.

On the same day, a BLM activist refused to condemn the arson attacks against the city. "Atlanta deserves more than that," she said. "They lucky. This city is lucky. this country is lucky...you think we give a d*mn about some equipment? Not at all."

In September, 60 individuals who were allegedly involved in a violent "Stop Cop City" assault at the site of Atlanta's future Public Safety Training Facility were charged with the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) along with domestic terrorism charges. The incident involved protestors throwing Molotov cocktails at construction equipment to set it ablaze.