ATLANTA — Police issued an arrest warrant late Tuesday against an Atlanta officer in connection with a fight at a Midtown bar.
Officer Garrett Rolfe turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on Wednesday evening after he was charged with simple assault, Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes reported.
Currently on administrative leave with pay, he is accused of assaulting bar worker Ray Penrice June 29 at X Midtown on Piedmont Avenue.
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An Atlanta Police spokesperson said the charge follows a thorough investigation.
Penrice’s attorney advised him not to do any more interviews, but he previously expressed his desire for “real justice.”
He and multiple witnesses said the off-duty officer was the aggressor, and they were surprised when Penrice was placed in handcuffs the night of the incident and not Rolfe.
James Nelson, the owner of the bar, said in a statement Tuesday that Rolfe being charged was a step in the right direction.
“We think it’s the correct decision to hold the officer accountable for his actions,” Nelson said. “For us and our community, we would like to see the charges dropped against my employee. We do not believe Office Rolfe should be policing our streets.”
Witnesses reported that Rolfe was asked to leave the bar and subsequently hit Penrice four times before Penrice retaliated. The officer’s attorney declined to comment on the situation.
In 2020, Rolfe was the officer involved in the deadly shooting of Rayshard Brooks outside a Wendy’s. Charges were dropped against him in 2022, and he fought for his job to get reinstated with the department.
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