Off-Duty APD Officer and Midtown Bar Employee Clash in Shocking Late-Night Fight
So, here's what happened recently in Midtown Atlanta that’s got people talking. A newly released 911 call is shedding light on a heated altercation between an off-duty Atlanta Police Department officer and a bar employee. It all went down at X Midtown, an LGBTQ+ bar on Piedmont Avenue, during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 29.
The officer involved? Garrett Rolfe — yes, the same officer who was previously charged in the 2020 fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, though those charges were eventually dropped. This time, Rolfe was off duty and at the bar as a customer when tensions escalated between him and a bar employee named Raefeael Penrice.
According to police and the now-released 911 call, things got messy fast. Penrice said Rolfe and another man had been drinking and were asked to leave the bar but refused. In the audio, Penrice tells the 911 dispatcher that Rolfe followed him into the alley behind the bar while he was taking out the trash, allegedly recording him and asking aggressive questions. Penrice stated clearly: “I have a guy here claiming to be APD... he followed me to the back alley and has a phone on me.”
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Penrice also expressed fear that Rolfe may have had a weapon, saying one of the men “brandished something.” He described being followed, questioned, and even placed in a physical hold he claimed affected a pre-existing rib injury. He believed the hold was one taught at the police academy — adding a serious level of concern to the encounter.
Rolfe, on the other hand, said the employee actually initiated the physical contact by grabbing him and choking him to the point he couldn’t breathe. Rolfe said he was only acting in self-defense.
In the aftermath, only Penrice was arrested — charged with simple battery and battery — while Rolfe was not charged and was allowed to leave the scene. The Atlanta Police Department placed Rolfe on paid administrative leave the same day the incident occurred. Mayor Andre Dickens has since expressed concern and assured the public that a full, impartial investigation is underway.
This situation has reignited discussions around accountability and transparency, especially when it involves law enforcement — even off duty. The public is still waiting for bodycam or surveillance footage to be released, but as of now, the 911 call is the most revealing piece of evidence in the public domain.
What’s clear is that this story is far from over. Both men claim self-defense, and the full picture is still developing as the APD’s Office of Professional Standards continues its investigation. For now, the community watches closely, once again questioning where justice and accountability intersect when it involves those who wear — or used to wear — a badge.
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