A man accused of intentionally setting fire to a Cobb County motel was arrested hours later on a bevy of charges related to a police chase in neighboring Douglas County, official documents show.
Anthony Aaron Quinn, 33, faces a dozen total charges between the two counties following events that took place in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, according to warrants obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Quinn was arrested that day and remains in the Douglas County Jail without bond, online records show.
Though officials did not provide a narrative account of Quinn’s alleged crimes, a series of warrants provided some details about the timeline that led to his charges.
According to a Cobb warrant, Quinn is suspected of intentionally setting a fire in room 303 at the Knights Inn on Blair Bridge Road in Austell around 3:35 a.m. After an investigation, Quinn was charged with felony arson.
Less than an hour later, Quinn is accused of breaking into a home in Winston by forcing open the back gate and kicking in the back door, according to a Douglas warrant. Following the break-in, around 4:30 a.m., Quinn is accused of going to a nearby gas station at the intersection of Duncan Memorial Highway and Winston Road, where warrants say he ran toward a car and “got in the owner’s face while waving his arms in a violent manner” before stealing a Ford F-series pickup truck.
Minutes later, Quinn tried to flee from a traffic stop in the truck, accelerating and passing cars while driving away from Douglasville police while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the warrants said. The truck was quickly disabled, though police did not say how, and Quinn continued to flee from officers on foot. As he was being arrested, he hit one of the Douglasville officers on the top of the head with a closed fist, warrants allege.
Following his arrest, officers found syringes filled with methadone in Quinn’s possession, the warrants said. He has been charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal damage to property, simple assault, vehicle theft, fleeing from police, misdemeanor obstruction, felony obstruction, DUI, open container, possession of a schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug-related objects.
Cobb fire officials are asking anyone with information about the Knights Inn fire to call 77-499-3896. A person who provides information leading to a conviction for arson could be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000.
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