Lead cop in Atlanta Eagle raid held on DUI, pot charges

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Police Department's lead investigator into the Atlanta Eagle gay bar raid was arrested in Cobb County for speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, jail records confirm.

Bennie Bridges was arrested and booked into the Cobb County Jail early Thursday morning, according to jail records. He was charged with speeding, DUI and marijuana possession and released on a $1,900 bond, jail records show.

Bridges, 41, was the lead investigator in the September 2009 raid on the Atlanta Eagle, where a swarm of officers detained and searched about five dozen Eagle customers, making some lie handcuffed and face down on the club's floor.

Bridges is on administrative leave with pay, according to Atlanta Police Officer Kimberly Maggart.

The issue has now been turned over to the APD's Office of Professional Standards, she said.

"Further comment on this specific incident would be inappropriate. However, Chief Turner expects Atlanta police officers to follow the laws they are sworn to uphold and enforce. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action," she said in a statement.

The story was first reported in The Ramage Report.