About The champion newspaper. (Decatur, GA) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2023)
MARCH 9 - 15, 2023 www.THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.com VOL 32 • NO. 37 e CHAMPION The official legal organ of DeKalb County, EA. Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Uthonia, Pine Lake, Tucker, Stonecrest and Stone Mountain. 504 LOCAL Civil rights activist honored in Stonecrest PAGE 3 LOCAL Police investigate shooting that sent Decatur High School into lockdown PAGE 7 SPORTS Cedar Grove basketball advances to state championship PAGE 12 VISIT US ONLINE @ THECHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM 64116 00001 Police make arrests at Atlanta Police Training Facility site after equipment destroyed, fires set BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Approximately 35 people were arrested during a music festival in the South River Forest after officials with the city of Atlanta said, "A group of violent agitators conducted a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers." On March 5, videos on social media platforms such as Twitter showed clouds of smoke and construction equipment on fire toward the end of the two-day festival held in South River/ Weelaunee Forest and the location SEE ARRESTS ON PAGE 6 Officials with the Atlanta Police Department said they made approximately 35 arrests in the South River Forest after construction equipment was destroyed. The site, located in DeKalb County, is where the future Atlanta Police Training Center is scheduled to be built. File Photo In this photo, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks after protests at the site of the Atlanta Police Training Facility. File photo Atlanta mayor announces new South River Forest and Public Safety Training Center Community Task Force BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens recently announced that he is establishing a new task force "to further engage the community on plans for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site, as well as the surrounding green space, including the former Atlanta Prison Farm." Dickens made the Suspect arrested in shooting death of pregnant woman BY JAY PHILLIPS JAY@dekalbchamp.com A suspect was arrested Feb. 27 in connection with the Feb. 2 shooting death of a pregnant woman in Clarkston. DeKalb County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit, with DeKalb County Police S.W.A.T., announced the arrest of 22-year-old suspect Diamonte Oiy'Shawn Haithcoats of Stone Mountain without incident outside a barber shop on Memorial Drive in Decatur. A warrant for Haithcoats' arrest charges him with malice murder in the shooting death of Shaniyah Monet Rodriguez on Old Singleton Lane in the Brannon Hill condominium community. According to the warrant, Rodriguez was seven months pregnant with Haithcoats' child at the time of the shooting and they lived together in the victim's mother's home. Authorities reported that Rodriguez was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head after reports of gunfire in the SEE TASK FORCE ON PAGE 13 SEE SHOOTING ON PAGE 6 \JJpJ Mb Social/ DEKALBCHAMPNEWS
