Atlanta Police Officer Recovering After Being Struck By ATV

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Atlanta police Officer Maximilian Brewer is recovering after being struck by an ATV during protests late Saturday night.

Atlanta police Officer Maximilian Brewer is recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital after being struck by an ATV late Saturday night. Brewer was assisting with traffic control at the intersection of Marietta and Spring streets during a protest when he was hit around 10:30 p.m., according to Atlanta Police Sgt. John Chaffee.

The officer was stationed at the intersection to block traffic from going down Marietta Street into an area where protesters were present Chaffee said during a press conference late Saturday night.

“He was standing near his motorcycle; an ATV came past one time,” Chaffee said. “At some point, it turned around, and it was attempting to come back at a high rate of speed, and it struck the officer while he was on foot.”

Brewer sustained significant injuries to his legs and was transported to Grady in stable condition APD said in a brief statement on Saturday. The officer had surgery early Sunday morning and remains in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

“We ask that you keep him in your thoughts and prayers,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during her press conference Sunday while giving updates on protests in the city. “He has a long road to recovery.”

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The ATV driver, who was identified on Sunday as 42-year-old Avery Goggans, was taken into custody and treated for minor injuries at Grady. He was charged with DUI, serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, possession of marijuana, and several other charges, according to APD.

The incident occurred during a second night protesting after Bottoms enacted a 9 p.m. curfew to help prevent a second night of rioting, property damage, and looting after the first night of protests turned violent on Friday.

Atlanta police said that they arrested more than 70 people on Friday night and 157 people on Saturday. Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for Georgia and enacted 3,000 troops to patrol the entire state on Sunday.

The protests were in response to the death of George Floyd. A black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis last week after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pinned Floyd to the ground while arresting him by placing his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck causing his death.

Chauvin and three other police officers were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department after a video of the arrest went viral. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday.

The following GoFundMe page has been set up in support of  Atlanta Police Motors Unit Officer Maximillian Brewer: https://bit.ly/2zNWVPI