Gas station shut down after APD called 130 times since 2021, including weekend deadly shooting

ATLANTA — Since 2021, Atlanta police have been called to a RaceTrac gas station on Piedmont Avenue near Georgia State University more than 130 times.

The City of Atlanta has now deemed the gas station a “nuisance property” and shut it down.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden dug through police records and learned that a shooting that left a 21-year-old dead over the weekend was the latest of more than 130 calls to the business.

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The gas station was considered one of the busiest in downtown Atlanta, but the shooting over the weekend left many college students on edge.

“That shouldn’t be happening around here,” GSU student Alex Benoit said.

“It’s such a dangerous place,” Neylan Kabir, another GSU student said.

On Tuesday, APD released surveillance video from the day of the crime that shows a suspect in a black jacket and a person of interest in a red hoodie.

RELATED STORIES:

• 21-year-old shot to death near Georgia State University campus, police say
• RaceTrac near GSU campus closes down due to public safety issues, company says
• New video shows suspect, person of interest before deadly shooting near RaceTrac by GSU

The City of Atlanta released a statement on Tuesday afternoon that read,

“Nuisance properties across the city have a history of violent crime, which is why the Mayor has added code enforcement officers and increased resources for the Solicitor’s Office to hold negligent operators and owners accountable. This approach is working, substantiated by the 21 percent reduction in homicides in 2023.”

Last month, bullets hit the windows of a GSU dorm.

In October, four people were shot, including two students, and an innocent bystander was killed.

Last year, the city implemented several safety measures, including meeting with gas station management, installing license plate readers and an undercover detail to monitor criminal activity.

There are three restaurants that rent space in the area and they tell Seiden they have no plans of leaving.

The city says they are looking forward to welcoming a new patron in the space.

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RaceTrac near GSU campus closes down due to public safety issues, company says

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