A.M. ATL: What happened at Six Flags
Morning, y’all! Expect rain, rain and more rain today, with temperatures in the 60s.
Today’s newsletter offers the latest on a national health care cyberattack with big Georgia implications, the removal of a downtown Atlanta landmark and a contentious meeting on tap in Athens. Plus: Guess which fledgling flautist is slated to perform at the free Atlanta Jazz Festival this summer?
Let’s get to it.
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AMUSEMENT PARK MAYHEM
Weekend gunfire outside Six Flags Over Georgia sent parkgoers scurrying, triggered a police shooting and a GBI investigation, and prompted local officials to wonder what more can be done at the popular amusement park. Here’s what we know:
The latest: Officials identified a teen shot by Cobb County police near the park as 15-year-old Syere Littlefield, of College Park. He remained in the hospital with critical injuries — and faces aggravated assault charges. Authorities reportedly found a handgun near the injured teen.
Take a step back: Before all that, Six Flags security asked Cobb police to help with an “unruly crowd” of 500 or 600 people who were reportedly “running through the park and fighting.” A little after 6 p.m., authorities asked everyone in the park to leave.
As big crowds gathered near the exits, shots rang out from a wooded area outside the gates. The GBI later said “an unknown number of suspects” had fired at Cobb officers from a nearby service road, hitting an unoccupied patrol car. Chaos ensued, one witness told the AJC’s David Aaro.
- “It was almost like a stampede,” Jerica Johnson said. “My husband grabbed our daughter, and then in the crowd of people, we lost each other. I ran into the bathroom and hid in a stall and stayed in there until it sounded quiet.”
Police and security ran in the direction of the gunshots. At least one officer fired shots, wounding Littlefield.
What’s next: Saturday’s incident marked the second year in a row that large fights broke out at Six Flags on its first day open for the season. Police records show similar incidents also happened last September, during the opening days of the theme park’s Fright Fest.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens called the incident disappointing. He told the AJC he plans to discuss current public safety protocols with police and explore “innovative approaches” to improve security.
- “I go to Six Flags. I take my kids, often, to Six Flags. My mother goes to Six Flags,” the mayor said. “Six Flags is still a very safe place to come to. Mableton overall is a very safe city, and I intend to keep it that way.”
Stay tuned to AJC.com for the latest updates. And if you’re not already registered, sign up to get A.M. ATL in your inbox each weekday morning.
Keep scrolling for more news.
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SIGNING OFF
Crews removed the big letters outside the former CNN Center, bringing a symbolic bit of closure to the cable giant’s tenure in downtown Atlanta (and removing a popular photo op for tourists). But fear not: The logo is headed for CNN’s new Midtown campus.
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ATHENS UPDATE
Athens-Clarke County commissioners expect to discuss new safety measures tonight in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s death. Demonstrators from opposing groups called “Make Athens Safe Again” and “The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement” both plan to rally before the meeting.
- ICE not notified of murder suspect’s earlier police encounters
- Suspect’s brother due for Thursday hearing in green card case
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MORE TOP STORIES
- A major cyberattack on the country’s health care system is disrupting patient access and payments at hospitals across Georgia and the country.
- White collar workers at Sandy Springs-based UPS are back on the mandatory five-days-a-week-in-the-office train.
- Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites resigned her post to launch a bid for Fulton County clerk.
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SUPER TUESDAY (AND BEYOND)
Today’s the day that 16 states hold their presidential preference primaries — and Republican front-runner Donald Trump is reveling in a unanimous Supreme Court decision rejecting attempts to keep him off ballots for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump also announced he’ll hold a rally in Rome on Saturday, the same day President Joe Biden plans to visit the Peach State. Our primary is a week from today.
» AP poll: 6 in 10 US adults doubt mental capability of Biden and Trump
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REASONABLE GROUNDS
A UN envoy says it found “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas militants committed sexual violence during their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
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SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Braves strikeout artist Spencer Strider developed a curveball in the offseason. Why? “My ultimate leading goal of the offseason was like, ‘How can we get better? We didn’t win the World Series, how can I get better?’”
- Bonus Braves: Can you ace the AJC’s latest quiz?
- Hawks: The Trae Young-less squad hopes to get back on track when it faces the Knicks tonight at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. on Bally Sports Southeast).
- Money matters: High school football teams love playing state championship games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Except for the fact they rake in way less revenue.
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ANDRÉ IN THE PARK
The lineup for this year’s Atlanta Jazz Festival is out, and guess who’s slotted for a Memorial Day weekend performance at Piedmont Park? The one and only André 3000. It’s free, too.
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GOOD EATS
The Halidom Eatery food hall opens this spring near East Atlanta. The latest additions to its roster include tenants serving coffee, sushi and hot dogs.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» For long-term care, premiums rise and Georgians’ choices shrink
» First over-the-counter birth control pill begins shipping to stores
» Brit Turner, drummer for Atlanta’s Blackberry Smoke, dead at 57
» College Park mayor suing her city
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ON THIS DATE
March 5, 1983
The Georgia General Assembly repealed a rather archaic piece of 19th century state law. It took multiple votes in the Senate but they struck this little Bible-based ditty in the session’s final hour: “The husband is the head of the family and the wife is subject to him; her legal and civil existence is merged in the husband.”
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer Arvin Temkar captured state Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, contemplating The Golden Elephant Award. GOP senators jokingly honored the Democrat for “providing leadership in a collaborative effort with (his) Republican colleagues to advance the conservative agenda in the Senate.”
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ONE MORE THING
Before we go, enjoy this story about a Frenchman walking his dog — and discovering an intact dinosaur skeleton. “My dog didn’t particularly help us to excavate,” Damien Boschetto told the Washington Post, “but often stood guard over the land and the fossils.”
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
