COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An officer shot a 15-year-old boy near Six Flags Over Georgia on Saturday in return fire, Cobb County Police said, after fights broke out across the park and multiple suspects fired at officers as the park cleared out.
The Cobb County Police Department said officers responded to assist Six Flags security around 6:15 p.m. as a crowd of 500-600 were "running through the park and fighting."
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the teen was rushed to Grady Hospital, where he is in critical condition. According to the GBI, the 15-year-old was shot after multiple people began shooting at police, with gunfire hitting an unoccupied Cobb County Police car.
Officers then chased the group into the woods, where a Cobb Police officer fired his weapon, hitting the 15-year-old, the GBI said.
A statement said Cobb Police and park security "were able to follow the crowd out of the park onto Six Flags Parkway near South Service Road."
"As officers followed the crowd out, ensuring they left the property, an unknown number of suspects fired at officers," a statement added. "An officer returned fire, striking one of the suspects. The suspect was provided medical aid on scene and transported to Grady Memorial Hospital."
Six Flags said in a statement that gunfire was contained to the South Service Road area and did not happen on park property or in its parking lot.
11Alive obtained video of the police response from a woman at the park, Instagram user @adoureee (note: there is no sound with the video):
According to Cobb County Police, the GBI is investigating the incident. The GBI confirmed it had been asked to investigate the scene, but additional details were not immediately available.
In an update, Cobb Police said the teen will face several charges in connection with the incident, including aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm under 18 and interference with government property.
Saturday was the opening day of the season at Six Flags. Unconfirmed videos on social media appeared to show chaos outside the park, including fights in parking lots and the sounds of gunfire breaking out.
"It is incredibly disappointing that our community is disrupted at public events throughout the region by groups of underaged youth," a Six Flags statement said. It added that "we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here."
One X account, @coastersnbrews, posted being at the park and said guests were told to leave the park as the situation deteriorated.
"Our goal is to provide safe, fun entertainment. We employ state of the art security systems and metal detection, maintain a robust and vigilant Public Safety Department, and have strong support from Cobb County Police who are present both inside and outside the park," Six Flags said. "Every guest is expected to follow our strict code of conduct and anyone unwilling to follow that code of conduct is unwelcome."
The park added: "Just like other venues in the area, we are committed to keeping this type of trouble outside our park and off our property. There was police activity involving gunshots; we want to confirm there was no shooting at our property or parking lot. This took place on South Service Road that is not owned or operated by Six Flags. However, we join our community and the Atlanta region in our commitment to safety and security. We won’t put up with that type of activity here."
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