Three defendants set to stand trial in the sweeping gang case against alleged “Young Slime Life” members were involved in a stabbing at the Fulton County jail that left a fellow detainee hospitalized, authorities said.
Christian Eppinger, Rodalius Ryan and Damone Blalock are accused of stabbing a fellow inmate at the county jail, the sheriff told Channel 2 Action News.
Eppinger and Ryan were charged with aggravated assault, while Blalock faces a misdemeanor battery charge, according to court records. All three were charged with misdemeanor willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
They’re are being held at the Fulton jail ahead of trial, for which a jury is still being selected.
Ryan and Blalock are already serving life in prison in connection with separate murder cases, while Eppinger is accused of shooting an Atlanta police officer in February 2022.
YSL co-defendants Jevon Fleetwood and Demise McMullen were also charged with misdemeanor battery and willful obstruction of law enforcement officer chargers in relation to the stabbing. Fleetwood and McMullen were named in the sweeping gang indictment but their cases were severed in December because they didn’t have attorneys.
Malik Drummond and David Dajuanta Wallace were also charged with aggravated assault and misdemeanor willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer. Wallace is currently serving a life sentence for the 2014 fatal shooting of Darius Bottoms, the nephew of former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
According to an arrest warrant, the stabbing took place Tuesday night inside the jail. Deputies responding to the commotion found a group of detainees around inmate Demarcus Bussey, who is charged with murder in a 2021 case, records show.
As deputies told the detainees to disperse, Eppinger allegedly pulled out a handmade “shank” and stabbed Bussey in the chest, according to the warrant. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Authorities have not released the victim’s condition or said what prompted the violent encounter.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
In a statement, Ryan’s attorney Angela D’Williams maintained her client’s innocence.
“Mr. Ryan is hopeful that there is a thorough investigation and that there is not a rush to judgement,” D’Williams said. “Mr. Ryan maintains his innocence regarding this incident.”
Sheriff Patrick Labat told Channel 2 that Ryan has been an ongoing problem for deputies and refuses to listen to them. He has already been charged in two separate incidents that resulted in delays to the jury selection process.
Last week, he allegedly spit on a Fulton County investigator while being transported from the jail to the courthouse. D’Williams filed a complaint against deputy Morris Kandakai, alleging excessive force was used against her client. Kandakai was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, officials said.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Ryan and Blalock were also recently charged in an alleged contraband incident involving fellow co-defendant Kahlieff Adams. Ryan was charged with unauthorized possession of a prohibited item by an inmate, and Blalock was charged with giving an inmate a prohibited item without authorization.
