Atlanta police shot a man Wednesday after he allegedly stabbed a Georgia State University officer with a butcher knife near a public park, authorities said. An officer with the Atlanta Police Department witnessed the unidentified suspect assaulting the GSU officer and shot him in order to stop the attack, Officer John Chafee said.
The police officer had earlier attempted to question the man, who appeared to be drinking alcohol in Woodruff Park shortly before 4 p.m. The man walked away from the police officer and encountered the plainclothes GSU officer, who was attempting to assist police in the apprehension of the suspect, Chafee said. That's when the suspect allegedly produced the butcher knife and stabbed the GSU officer. The knife was recovered at the scene. Atlanta police are investigating the incident, Chafee said.