ATLANTA – The family of a Gwinnett County teenager is suing the city of Atlanta and a former Atlanta police officer over what they say is a history of ignoring sexual predators within the Atlanta Police Department.

The lawsuit stems from the 2023 arrest of Officer Anthony Anderson after he reportedly forced the 16-year-old to give him oral sex while she was recovering from an earlier car crash.

The backstory:

Police say Anderson met the girl while responding to a single-car crash early in the morning of Aug. 2, 2023. Investigators with the Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit said the assault happened after his shift later that day.

In the lawsuit, the family alleges that Anderson called off medical personnel who were responding to the scene, took the girl in his squad car to a nearby gas station, and then picked her up after he clocked out of work.

“Under the pretense of offering to drive her home, Anderson took a detour, drove to a secluded section of roadway to avoid detection, and forced Plaintiff Z.A. to perform oral sex 
upon him,” the lawsuit reads.

After the assault, Anderson dropped the girl off in front of her parents’ home.

The 16-year-old reported the assault her guidance counselor to Gwinnett County police later that day. That started the investigation that eventually ended with Anderson’s arrest.

Anthony L. Anderson  (Atlanta Police Department)

“Not only am I disturbed and disappointed by these allegations, but it also angers me,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said after the arrest. “We ask the public to trust us to do the right thing, to keep them safe. So, when one of our own is accused of despicable acts with a minor, it erodes that trust that sometimes takes years to build.  You can be assured, I will act swiftly to investigate anytime allegations of misconduct are brought to my attention. I want to thank the Atlanta Police Department’s criminal investigation division for their prompt action in dealing with this matter.”

Anderson was charged with oath of office, cruelty to children, aggravated sexual battery, and aggravated sodomy. After pleading guilty to improper sexual conduct by an employee or agent, making false statements, concealing facts, and violating his oath earlier this year, he was sentenced to six years in prison.

Police records show Anderson had been with the department since March 2016.

What they’re saying:

As part of the lawsuit, attorneys accused the Atlanta Police Department of negligent hiring practices and of handling instances of sexual misconduct by officers internally.

“The overwhelming rate at which APD officers engage in sexual misconduct while on the job is the result of negligent hiring, training, supervision and promotions, creating a laissez-faire attitude within the APD that assaulting, battering, falsely imprisoning, and raping civilians was—and still is—acceptable, reinforced, and encouraged.” the lawsuit reads.

As part of their argument, the complaint names multiple officers starting in 2004 who were charged with sexual assault and rape. 

The latest case referenced was in 2024 and involves a former APD officer who is facing charges of enticing a child for indecent purposes in Richmond County.

In that case, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department says Benjamin Travis Hopson had been “relieved from duty and placed in a non-enforcement, administrative assignment on May 18, 2023,” but the reasons were not specified.

“As alleged/ herein, sexual misconduct by APD officers is neither novel nor rare and is rather reflective of a history, pattern, practice, and de facto policy within the APD,” the lawsuit reads.

The family’s lawyers also accuse the city of failing to properly supervise officers after repeated violations and of concealing investigation from the public.

What’s next:

The lawsuit said that the teen’s life had “fallen to pieces” after her experience with Anderson, leading her to need “significant professional and psychological support and intervention” as she prepares to graduate.

They are asking for a jury trial and damages, including attorney fees.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons has always been known as a talker, particularly when it comes to his NFL constituents.

That continued to be the case recently, when he took a trip to Dubai with fellow stars such as Atlanta Flacons running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, and New York Jets signal-caller Justin Fields.

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During the trip, Parsons took a playful jab at Robinson, Pitts while holding a real-life falcon on his arm during one of their events on the trip, claiming that he owned their team. However, Robinson was quick to fire back and put Parsons in his place with a friendly dig of his own.

“This man Micah is a clown, yo,” Robinson said. “What was the score this year? Okay, that’s right. The Cowboys definitely owned y’all this year. It’s all good.”

The Falcons, of course, beat the Cowboys 27-21 in their 2024 regular season matchup – a game in which Parsons missed, while Robinson had nearly 150 yards from scrimmage.

Parsons then fired back, claiming that if he had been there, the results would have been different.

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“I didn’t play,” Parsons responded. “I would have beat them.”

However, Robinson was quick to respond, asserting that nothing would have changed, Parsons’ impact would have been minimal, and the Falcons still would have come away with the win.

“Even if you played, it would have been the same,” Robinson said. “It would have been the same result. You’d just be a guy out there having fun.”

Odds are, Robinson is probably right, largely due to the fact that Dallas lost starting QB Dak Prescott in the second half of that game when it was still very much in doubt.

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More than 450 flights were delayed Monday causing chaos at Newark and Atlanta international airports following the weekend’s ground stop order over air traffic control failures.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning that a second ground stop order was possible given the situation at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International — the busiest airport in the US — which has seen more than 370 delays as of Monday afternoon, according to FlightAware’s tracking data.

The warning comes after the agency’s Sunday stop order over runway equipment issues, air traffic control equipment outage and thunderstorms, which disrupted more than 500 flights in and out of Atlanta.

The bulk of the Monday delays were affecting Delta Air Lines, which has its main hub in Atlanta.

At Newark Liberty International, 82 flights have been canceled, with another 85 delayed following the airport’s own Sunday mayhem, according to FlightAware.

The FAA had issued a 45-minute ground stop at the New Jersey airport following an outage at one of its air traffic control facilities — resulting in dozens of cancellations and delays.

The agency warned passengers on Monday that they should expect an average of 19-minute delays on all flights through 9 p.m., with the airport claiming the delays were due to “FAA staffing issues.”

The Newark airport was thrust into the national spotlight on Friday after a radar malfunction caused a total standstill and led US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to order a reduction of traffic at the airport for the “next several weeks.”

Duffy has insisted that “it is” safe to fly out of New Jersey’s busiest airport, despite admitting that it uses an “old” system and said he planned to meet with all airlines flying out of Newark.

Duffy also blamed his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, and the Biden administration on Monday for the ongoing problems at Newark, accusing them of failing to update the airport while in office and bungling last year’s move of air traffic control from New York to Philadelphia.