Two people have been arrested in connection with a Thursday night gun battle that spanned an entire block of Parkway Drive between Ponce de Leon and North avenues, an Atlanta police spokeswoman said Friday.
Derrick Newell, 38, and Marcellus White, 26, each face two counts of aggravated assault and one count of reckless conduct for allegedly shooting at two police officers, Officer Kim Jones said in an emailed statement. A third person person was able to elude arrest, Jones said.
No one was struck by the gunfire. Investigators had not determined Friday what prompted the shootings.
Shortly before midnight Thursday, two off-duty Atlanta officers working an extra job were in a patrol car when they heard multiple shots in the area of Parkway Drive, Jones said.
“Officers rolled towards where they heard the shots fired, and actually came upon an active gun battle,” Atlanta police Capt. Paul Guerrucci told Channel 2 Action News early Friday.
The officers then observed a black, four-door sedan backing northbound on Parkway Drive at a high-rate of speed, Jones said. At least one person in the sedan was firing shots from the car, according to police.
When the officers approached the sedan, occupants then pointed guns at the officers, and at least one person fired shots at the officers, Jones said. The officers returned fire, and the car stopped.
A man who showed up about 30 minutes later at nearby Atlanta Medical Center with a broken wrist was believed to have been involved in the shootout, according to police dispatchers. His name was not released.
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