CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Gunfire broke out at a Waffle House early Sunday morning, damaging two vehicles, as a crowd of dozens of young people left the scene, Cartersville police said.
Two people were detained for questioning.
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Police said they responded to reports of shots fired at 300 N. Dixie Ave. just after midnight on March 15.
There was a fight involving a group of 30 to 50 people believed to be between the ages of 16 and 20 that began behind the restaurant roughly 30 minutes earlier, police said.
Investigators are looking into reports that people in a passing vehicle exchanged shots with someone in the Waffle House parking lot. This reportedly happened after a fight between two young men.
One driver arrived at the scene in a maroon 2013 Acura RDX to report his vehicle had been struck.
The driver told officers he was leaving a nearby McDonald’s and heading toward Georgia Highway 41 when he heard gunshots. He reported seeing a large crowd of teenagers gathered at the Waffle House and believed the shots originated from that group.
Investigating officers noted a clear path where a round slid across the roof line of the vehicle, leaving a small dent. The driver told police he ran a red light during the incident because he feared someone was shooting directly at him.
A second victim was eating inside the restaurant when the shooting occurred. He also told investigators that a large group of teenagers entered the Waffle House to eat before a commotion began outside.
Although he did not see the shooter, he later discovered a bullet hole in the driver’s side mirror of his 2022 GMC Sierra. The round reportedly entered the front of the mirror and exited near the bottom. Both drivers told police they wish to press charges.
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Two witnesses who were working for a food delivery service at the time provided more details about the events leading up to the gunfire.
They said a group of teens were hanging out in the area and moving between the McDonald’s and Waffle House parking lots.
The witnesses reported seeing a fight break out between several males behind the restaurant shortly before the shooting began. One witness told police she saw gunshots fired from a vehicle traveling down the hill from Felton Place. She also reported seeing a skinny man in a black hoodie with red or white writing return fire at the fleeing vehicles.
The manager of the Waffle House provided investigators with security camera footage, which showed the group of young people arriving at about 11:30 p.m. Footage captured a fight behind the building involving two young men, one in a yellow hoodie and another in a black hoodie with a pink or white design.
Several people were seen getting into a red Hyundai and a white sedan after the fight. The video showed these vehicles leaving the area and returning about 30 minutes later. While the camera did not capture the actual gunfire, it showed the crowd in the parking lot leaving just after midnight, which coincided with the time of the shooting.
Evidence recovered at the scene included two Hornady +P 9mm Luger shell casings. Officers found the casings in the parking lot, positioned in line with where the two damaged vehicles were found during the shooting.
During the initial response, Sgt. A. Cooney and Officer A.T. Davis conducted a felony traffic stop on a vehicle leaving the area and detained two occupants for questioning.
Officer Tavalez found a gold Chrysler with rear bumper damage at a residence on Fairview Circle that was suspected of involvement in the incident.
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