The Atlanta police officer who fatally shot an unarmed Black man in 2020 was recently jailed on assault charges connected to a bar fight in Midtown Atlanta.
Garrett Rolfe was booked into a Fulton County Jail on July 30 on a simple assault charge after he allegedly fought a staff member at X Midtown on Piedmont Avenue last month.
According to WXIA, citing information from a warrant, the fight happened at 1:20 a.m. on June 29. Two Atlanta officers were called to the scene and were met outside by Rolfe, who had a bloody nose.
The 32-year-old, who was off duty, told police that he was at the bar with a friend when his friend took a picture of the bartender because he believed he was overcharged for his drink.
The bartender’s girlfriend approached Rolfe and his friend, demanding that the photo be deleted.
According to the bar owner, Rolfe and his friend only escalated the altercation, and another bar employee became involved after he was called inside the establishment from his post on the patio.
Rolfe told officers that the employee started “pulling and pushing” his friend out of the bar. Rolfe said he approached the staff member and asked what was going on, but the employee grabbed the collar of his shirt and started “pulling and stretching it.”
Rolfe said when he tried to escape the staffer’s grip, the employee threw him against a wall, and “began strangling him to the extent of which he could not breathe.” Then, Rolfe said he started punching him.
Rolfe told the cops he hit him back in self-defense, “delivering closed hand strikes to his body and face.”
However, the employee told a different story, saying it was Rolfe who attacked first. He stated that when he tried to escort him and his friend out of the bar, Rolfe began punching him. That’s when he fought back to defend himself.
Despite both men claiming self-defense, police arrested the bar staffer, 52-year-old Raefeael Penrice, on battery and simple assault. Rolfe was let off without charges, but he was placed on administrative leave while police investigated the incident.
The case drew some blowback from bar staff members who asserted that Rolfe and his friend were the aggressors and questioned the police department’s decision to arrest their colleague.
After weeks of investigation, authorities recently announced that Rolfe was arrested and charged.
X Midtown owner James Nelson released a statement saying he believes Rolfe’s arrest is the “correct decision” and a “step in the right direction.” He also advocated for charges against Penrice to be dropped.
“For us and our community, we would like to see the charges dropped against my employee. We do not believe Officer Rolfe should be policing our streets,” Nelson said. “If the police department’s findings merit criminal charges, we hope he will be prosecuted. Our city stands for so much more than this – we stand for justice, peace and equality – and we can do better. I hope the police department and city leadership will continue doing the right thing.”
Four years ago, Rolfe was arrested and charged with the murder of Rayshard Brooks, who fell asleep in his car at a Wendy’s drive-thru in southwest Atlanta and was fatally shot during an encounter with Rolfe and his partner after both cops tried to arrest him for driving under the influence.
The charges were dropped in August 2022. Rolfe lost his job but was later reinstated after appealing his firing.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Rolfe was reprimanded for his use of force following an incident in 2017. Internal investigations were also conducted into 12 other incidents involving Rolfe, ranging from vehicle accidents to citizens’ complaints. Rolfe was exonerated in nine of them.
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