ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority police have made dozens of arrests and are seeking dozens more suspects after a wave of damage to the transit system’s new fare gates, according to crime data obtained by Channel 2 Action News.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Since the new fare gates went online June 1, MARTA police have arrested 40 people accused of damaging the gates and have issued 29 outstanding “be on the lookout” alerts for additional suspects.
One surveillance video from Lindbergh Center Station shows a rider attempting to push through a fare gate before smashing through the glass barrier. MARTA police said the woman was arrested minutes later.
“To be honest, some people were used to not having to pay fare and just being able to ride MARTA anytime they wanted to for free,” MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.
Kreher says riders could often push through the old gates.
“We want the public to know that we’re going to charge you and we’re going to put you in jail,” Kreher said.
In addition to the damage-related arrests, MARTA has arrested or suspended 183 people for fare evasion since June 1.
“If somebody does this, you’re watching?” Gray asked.
MORE FROM CHANNEL 2 INVESTIGATES:
- ER doctors told veteran he needed to be seen in 24 hours. It took the VA 13 weeks
- Tenants say they’re paying the price for Atlanta apartment owner’s unpaid gas bill
- Woman says popular oil change business left engine with extensive damage
“MARTA has over 12,000 cameras that are constantly being monitored 24 hours a day,” Kreher said.
MARTA gave Channel 2 Action News an exclusive look inside its Real Time Crime Center, where officers monitor live video feeds from trains, buses and stations across the transit system.
“Any camera from a train, any camera from a bus, any of our properties. What they can do is they can watch (in) real time what’s going on,” Kreher said.
MARTA is also rolling out new technology that can spot and track people across multiple cameras and stations and even immediately alert when someone who has been suspended or banned tries to enter a station or board a bus.
The chief also addressed concerns about the gates themselves. He said the first glass barriers installed at some stations suffered from a manufacturer’s defect and are now being replaced with stronger materials.
MARTA has installed red signs at gates across the system warning that damaging a fare gate is a felony offense and that cameras are recording what happens.
“A felony conviction is not worth $2.50,” Kreher said.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
