The Atlanta Police Department has raised the reward to $20,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the people seen starting a fire at a Wendy’s restaurant at 125 University Avenue.
Atlanta police believe that there was more than one person involved in the fire, but two woman were caught on video.
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The Atlanta Fire Department believes more people may have been involved.
If you have any information on the firestarter, Call 404-577-TIPS (8477) or submit information online to Crime Stoppers.
The authorities also released new images of a woman who they say started the fire. The new photos show a woman who appears to be Caucasian in a store hours before the protests.
The reward increase is indicative of how significance the case has become. Former Police Chief Ericka Shields told reporters when the protests first occurred that investigators found that many of the protesters, especially the agitators, were not from Atlanta.
@StopCrimeATL is offering a $10,000 reward for information on the individuals responsible for starting a fire that led to the destruction of a Wendy’s restaurant at 125 University Avenue. Call 404-577-TIPS (8477) or submit information online at https://t.co/aS17unWjQi. pic.twitter.com/GsVaka56xT
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) June 14, 2020
Concerns have grown that instigators have joined many of the protesters for reasons not yet clear. When damage is done, many protesters have tried to identify those who have vandalized property and caused destruction.
A WHITE girl set the Wendy’s fire. And we caught her on tape. Share this before they blame us. pic.twitter.com/yvwqqXysFB #AtlantaRiot #AtlantaProtest
— Angel (@angelacab13) June 14, 2020
People gathered at the Wendy’s for a second day in the wake of a police homicide that was caught on video. The gathering site was the Wendy’s restaurant on the city’s south side.
The previous day, large plumes of smoke bellowed from the Wendy’s at University Avenue and Pryor Road late Saturday and into Sunday as protesters sent a message to the powers that be.
Fire at Wendy's on University Ave in southwest Atlanta raging. A night to remember in Atlanta: Rayshard Brooks shot by an officer, the chief of Atlanta police resigned, and protesters stormed the interstate. Now, fire. #AtlantaShooting #AtlantaProtest pic.twitter.com/Fgjq7jhDiZ
— Ric Garni (@RICGARNI) June 14, 2020
The protests, which have been happening every night, took on renewed significance after Atlanta police shot down Rayshard Brooks after a brief struggle.
Late into the night, Atlanta police were trying to get protesters to leave the scene. Many of them showed up outside a police precinct in nearby Grant Park.
Video released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation showed that Brooks was tased by two officers then wrestled with them on the ground before emerging with the taser and trying to run.
He was shot in the back three times and died a short time later.
GBI released video that shows the moment Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by an Atlanta Police officer at a Wendys on University Ave last night. Police say Brooks had taken an officer's taser and pointed it at the officer as he ran. pic.twitter.com/1G8fn03gFV
— Matt Johnson (@MattWSB) June 13, 2020
The already explosive atmosphere reached fever pitch immediately as people congregated around the Wendy’s where the slaying happened.
As public pressure mounted, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced that Police Chief Ericka Shields would resign so that the police force could start to rebuild with a fresh face at the helm.
Bottoms also called for the immediate termination of the officer who killed Brooks.
LIVE: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms discusses man shot and killed by APD Friday night https://t.co/IQk117Yzb2
— CBS46 (@cbs46) June 13, 2020
Later in the night, protesters marched onto the highway and shut down one side of Interstate 75, where they stopped traffic.
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