The sheriff confirmed that five detainees and four sheriff’s office employees were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with injuries related to smoke inhalation.

All of those people are stable, but a sheriff’s office lieutenant and a detainee have been intubated.

Labat said that a detainee out for free time gathered plastic trash bags and a plastic bag with Styrofoam food trays in the shower on the seventh floor of the jail’s north tower and set them on fire. He says that the detainee will be charged.

He was one of the detainees taken to the hospital.

All 118 detainees on that floor of the jail were moved to the south tower.

Read more at WSBTV.com.

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Atlanta Public Schools confirmed that a fight broke out in the school’s cafeteria.

Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes obtained video of the fight, showing two teen boys getting physical with each other.

In the video, you see one of the teens holding a pair of scissors in their hand. Moments later, you see the other teen with a bloodied face.

“One student sustained an injury involving a pair of scissors. School staff responded to secure the area, ensure the safety of all students, and provide care to the injured student, who is currently being treated at a local hospital,” APS said in a statement. “This was an isolated incident involving only the two students. No other students were involved, and there is no ongoing threat to students or staff.”

Follow WSBTV.com for updates.

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A routine traffic stop by Brookhaven police on Dec. 8 resulted in multiple drug and stolen vehicle arrests.

According to a release by the BPD, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a tinted tag cover that had a dealer plate affixed to the rear of the car.

 “A check of the VIN revealed the vehicle was reported stolen with the Atlanta Police Department,” the release said. “An inventory of the vehicle revealed both occupants were in possession of suspected illegal drugs.”

The female driver, Amani Dirton, 25, of Simpsonville, SC was charged with felony theft by receiving a stolen vehicle, possession of marijuana w/intent to distribute, and misdemeanor traffic charges. The female passenger, Erica Breaux, 27, of Garland, Texas was charged with felony possession w/intent to distribute MDMA, felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

According to DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department records, both were released on bond on Dec. 10.

The post Routine stop nets multiple drug, stolen car charges in Brookhaven appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

A man has taken a plea deal in the murder of a beloved 77-year-old grandmother inside her gated Buckhead townhome community.

As part of a blind plea, Antonio Brown, 26, has agreed to plead guilty to the 2022 murder of 77-year-old Eleanor Bowles.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer sentenced Brown to two consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole. This means he won’t be eligible for parole until he is 86.

Today was the beginning of the trial, and attorneys were about to start jury selection when Brown agreed to plead guilty.

Bowles’ two sons delivered emotional impact statements before he learned his fate. Brown also apologized to the Bowles’ family.

Find out more at WSB-TV.com.

The post Man pleads guilty to stabbing, killing 77-year-old Buckhead grandmother appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

A survey about Brookhaven citizens’ perception of the quality of life and services provided by the city show a marked improvement compared to 2023.

“Spoiler alert: we’ve have some pretty good results here,” said Brookhaven City Manager Christian Sigman before the presentation.

The poll, conducted by the ETC Institute, which also surveyed citizens in 2023, concluded that residents are most satisfied with police services (88 percent), parks and recreation programs and facilities (80 percent), and maintenance of the city’s buildings and facilities (74 percent).

Robert Heacock, senior manager of the ETC Institute, who presented before the council at its Dec. 2 work session, said the goal was to gather 400 surveys, which was met, with 401 responses. The surveys were mailed and posted online.

The results showed the highest rated quality-of-life items were: as a place to live/raise
family (92 percent), overall quality of life (88 percent), and as a place to work
(84 percent).

Brookhaven was rated significantly higher than the Southeast regional and U.S. averages in most categories of city services assessed, with numbers in the 80 percent range compared with 50 percent in the other two categories, the survey revealed.

Numbers compared to the 2023 poll showed citizens rated 62 of the 78 services higher in the 2025 survey, Heacock said. The 16 categories that saw declines included the width of sidewalks (a decrease of 10 percent) and whether or not Brookhaven was a good place to open a business (a decline of eight percent).

The areas that citizens rated higher in the 2025 survey related to amenities at Lynwood Park (20 percent), the availability of information about city programs/services (18 percent), police safety education programs (17 percent), and the effectiveness of city communication with the public (17 percent).

Heacock complimented the city for taking action to address areas of concern pointed out by respondents in the 2023 survey.

“After one survey, you can tell that the city manager and the staff took this to heart as well as your department heads,” Heacock said.

Areas where respondents spoke of their concerns about the city included break-ins, traffic violations, murder, and drug-related crime, the poll revealed.

Council members asked Heacock for feedback regarding the questions. He suggested reducing the number of questions related to police service, along with refining questions further to discover more specific geographic concerns.

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