A woman was caught in the crossfire when two groups began shooting at each other at Atlantic Station on Saturday night, police said.
Atlanta officers were called to the popular Midtown shopping and dining district after a person was reported shot on 19th Street shortly before midnight. They found the woman with a gunshot wound to her leg, and she was alert when she was taken to a hospital, police said in a statement.
Investigators believe gunfire erupted between separate groups of men, and she was an innocent bystander, the statement read. While most retail stores were closed at the time, there are several restaurants, a bowling alley and a movie theater within yards of the shooting scene.
No other details were released by police.
In a statement, Atlantic Station said the suspects were “quickly apprehended” by police and security. Police said one suspect, a 15-year-old, was arrested at the scene. He was not named due to his age.
“Our thoughts continue to be with the injured person, who we wish a quick recovery,” the retail district said in the statement. “The safety and well-being of our community is our top priority, and we are working with law enforcement as they continue to investigate this matter. Because this is an active investigation, we cannot provide any further details at this time.”
Saturday’s shooting marked the second time a woman was hit by a stray bullet flying between separate groups at the same location.
In January, a woman was injured as she walked past two groups of people who were arguing outside Bowlero, Atlantic Station’s bowling alley, police said at the time. Someone in the group opened fire and struck the woman. She was described as stable and taken to a hospital.
A few weeks earlier, the night after Christmas 2021, gunfire erupted among a group of more than 100 teenagers on 17th Street, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. One 911 caller reported hearing “at least 20 or 30 shots,” while another described a chaotic scene of teens “fighting each other and starting fights all over the place.”
A Georgia State University officer working an extra job and a security guard attempted to intervene as the gunshots rang out and saw a 16-year-old “actively firing shots into a crowd.” The officer shot the suspect, officials said at the time. The teen survived the shooting.
It wasn’t the first brawl involving a large group of teens at Atlantic Station. A little over a year earlier, in November 2020, about 300 teens were gathered near Bowlero. Many of them were fighting each other, and one was beaten and punched until he lost consciousness, police said at the time. When he fell, another teen repeatedly stomped on his head, an incident report said. He was expected to be OK.
Like in Saturday’s shooting, a 15-year-old was identified as the primary aggressor in the 2020 melee. He was detained and charged with aggravated assault.
Part of Atlantic Station’s effort to curb the violence shortly after the January shooting this year included investing in the shopping plaza’s security program, which includes an around-the-clock team and more than 500 surveillance cameras throughout the property.
It also meant instituting a stricter curfew for minors. Now, beginning at 3 p.m., no one under the age of 18 is allowed on the premises unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. After 9 p.m., no one under the age of 21 is allowed.
The curfew is similar to that of Lenox Square in Buckhead after a similar rise in violent crime marred the mall’s reputation as a high-end, luxury shopping destination.
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