Rumors of recent Beltline stabbing are unfounded, police confirm

Rumors of a violent attack on the Beltline’s Westside Trail have been debunked by the Atlanta Police Department, marking the second time in recent weeks that police have vouched for the multi-use trail’s crime record in the face of community concern.

On Wednesday, a concerned Curbed Atlanta reader reached out via Twitter, claiming a person was stabbed while traversing the Beltline’s westernmost pathway.

Not so, said Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos.

In fact, there have been zero violent crimes reported on the Beltline’s Westside Trail since it opened to the public last September, according to police data.

The crime that spurred the rumors actually happened three blocks away from the trail, police officials told Curbed.

Similar rumors have swirled nearby since the project took concrete form in western and southwestern Atlanta neighborhoods with histories of criminal activity.

In early April, a man living in Southwest Atlanta’s Capitol View complained of gunshots and gang activity near his home. He said police had been slacking on their Westside Trail area overwatch. Police countered that drug crackdowns have netted dozens of arrests in recent years in the area.

APD recently secured a $1.8 million grant from the federal government, which is allowing it to inflate its current 15-officer Beltline Path Force to a 30-deep squad.

This story has been updated to clarify that no VIOLENT crimes have been reported on the path, although one minor act of vandalism was reported.

• Police, Beltline officials call neighbor’s Westside Trail crime concerns overblown [Curbed]