Intrenchment Creek Clearing Operation Held After Hidden Traps Found

EAST ATLANTA, GA — Several metro Atlanta authorities are uniting Monday for a task force effort they say will nudge them toward the reopening of Intrenchment Creek Park, where hidden traps prompted the temporary closure of the park.

DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond issued an executive order Friday, closing the park until further notice, after hidden traps and devices "designed to injure, maim or cause death" to people and pets were found.

Intrenchment Creek on Bouldercrest Road is near the site of the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also known as "Cop City," and the South River Forest Basin near Constitution and Key roads. The center has been the focal point of protests for several months, some of which have turned violent.

The DeKalb County Police Department is leading Monday's task force operation alongside the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Brookhaven, Johns Creek, Atlanta, Dunwoody and Sandy Springs and other agencies.

DeKalb County Police Chief Mirtha Ramos said in a news release the purpose of the operation is to find anyone who is unauthorized to be on the property and ask them to leave and remove unauthorized cars from the property.

Entrances and exits are being secured with cement barricades, the park inspection is being started and signs are being posted to prohibit people from entering the property, Ramos said in the release.

Patch obtained a copy of the executive order Friday. It showed Intrenchment Creek Park (2109 Bouldercrest Road) is closed along with Bouldercrest locations at 2055, 2156, 2142, 2058 and 2098.

Anyone who enters the park can be charged with criminal trespass, he said. It is illegal for anyone to deface signs or park in the area.

"We know there are dangers in these properties," Thurmond said at a Friday news conference.

During the news conference, Thurmond displayed a photo of nails protruding out of a piece of wood. He said the items were provided to DeKalb County officials by the GBI.

Authorities have responded to the training center site multiple times, arresting protesters in December on domestic terrorism charges and returning in January during a joint task force clearing operation. The operation turned deadly when a Georgia State trooper was shot and the person accused of firing the gun was shot and killed by law enforcement. Body cam footage of the shooting's aftermath was released on Feb. 9 by the Atlanta Police Department. A subsequent protest in downtown Atlanta was held in the name of Manuel "Tortuguita" Teran, the person accused in the shooting. Teran's family has since sued the City of Atlanta, seeking records related to Teran's death. A violent protest in early March was held at the site of the future site of the training center, where 23 were arrested after being accused of throwing fireworks, Molotov cocktails and other items at authorities.