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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘I was doing my job:' Atlanta bar employee recounts fight with APD officer
Atlanta police are still investigating a bar fight between an employee and an off-duty police officer. Investigators say the employee, Rae Penrice, is the current suspect in the case. Channel 2's Tyisha Fernandes spoke with Penrice on Friday to get his side of the story. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'It was like something above the law,' he said. Several witnesses told Channel 2 Action News that the officer, Garrett Rolfe, started the fight and should've been the one to go to jail. Rolfe, the same officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks, is currently on leave while police investigate. 'I was doing my job, just greeting customers and cleaning up and making sure the front straight," Penrice described. He says a female coworker at X in midtown Atlanta told him that Rolfe and a friend had taken photos of her after accusing her of overcharging for drinks. 'I told them, 'I'm Rae, I work here and y'all were asked to leave, so why won't you?' And in the course of me saying those words, I was struck, I was hit. I was hit several times,' he recalled. 'I got hit right here in my temple area, I got hit in my neck, I got hit right here underneath my jaw. And those were the ones that were substantial because those were the ones I felt for a few days. And at that point, I just had to defend myself after the attack.' RELATED STORIES: 911 calls shed new light on moments before employee, APD officer got into bar fight Officer who shot, killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020 under investigation after Atlanta bar fight Former neighbor defends officer charged with shooting Rayshard Brooks He says he hit the officer to stop the attack. Penrice called 911 after he says a group of people followed him to the back alley as he took out the trash. The bar employee was subsequently arrested after police arrived. Fernandes reached out to police who said they cannot comment until the investigation is over. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
911 call released related to fight between APD officer and employee at Midtown bar
The Brief Atlanta police have shared the 911 call that led to a Midtown bar employee's arrest and one of their officers placed on administrative leave. Investigators said Officer Garrett Rolfe, who was off duty at the time, got into an argument with Raefeael Penrice that escalated into a physical dispute. In the call, Penrice said that Rolfe and another man had been asked to leave the bar but refused to go. ATLANTA - Atlanta police have released a new 911 call that sheds light on a fight earlier this week between an off-duty officer and an employee at a Midtown LGBTQ+ bar. Officer Garrett Rolfe, who was once charged in the deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks, is on administrative leave while authorities investigate the fight. MORE: Officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in Midtown bar fight as customer The backstory Officials say the incident happened at the X Midtown club on Piedmont Avenue early Sunday morning. X Midtown's owner said Rolfe was in the bar as a customer when the incident started. Investigators said Rolfe, who was off duty at the time, and another man, Raefeael Penrice, got into a verbal argument. The argument escalated into a physical dispute, police said. What we know In the newly released 911 footage, Penrice said that Rolfe and another man had been asked to leave the bar but refused to go. "I have a guy here claiming to be APD, and he keeps following me," Penrice says. "I'm in the back doing my job, like taking out the trash, and the guy followed me to the back of the alley and he has a phone on me - asking me all kinds of questions and stuff like that." When asked by the 911 responder if the man was wearing a uniform, Penrice said that he wasn't and "he and his buddy have been drinking." Penrice said that one of the men "brandished something" and that he was worried that they had a weapon. At the end of the call, you can hear one of the men confront Penrice, saying that he was "not allowed to put your hands of somebody." The other man then says that he never asked them to leave the bar. What they're saying On Tuesday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said he's spoken with APD's chief about the incident. "The Mayor has spoken to the Chief about this matter and expressed his concerns. Anytime any employee—especially a police officer—is involved in any incident, he is concerned and expects a full and thorough impartial investigation. That is what is underway now. Officer Rolfe has been relieved of duty pending an investigation," the Mayor's Office said in a statement to FOX 5. What's next Officers arrested and charged Penrice with simple battery and battery. He was taken to the Fulton County Jail. Rolfe was placed on administrative leave, beginning Sunday, pending an investigation by the Atlanta Police Department's Office of Professional Standards. So far, police have not released any bodycam footage of the incident. The Source Information for this report came from a 911 call released by the Atlanta Police Department and previous FOX 5 reporting.
