Fulton County cop and wife arrested after clash with police at South Fulton bar

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. – Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy Bryon Thomas and his wife were arrested early Monday after an altercation with police officers at Harold’s Ice Bar on Old National Highway escalated into a confrontation involving multiple law enforcement personnel and other individuals.

Officers were called to the incident around 2:37 a.m. on Nov. 11, when South Fulton police officers responded to reports of a disturbance at the bar. According to arrest warrants obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, officers found Thomas and several others inside the establishment in a fight. As officers attempted to disperse the crowd, Thomas repeatedly refused verbal commands to leave the area.

An officer, trying to break up an altercation, reported Thomas pushed him. The incident escalated when Thomas became argumentative and noncompliant, officers noted in the police report.

According to the affidavit, a corporal saw Thomas grab his arm as Hardy attempted to arrest another person. Officers had to use physical force to restrain Thomas as he continued to resist. Officers reported a strong odor of alcohol on Thomas’ breath during the incident, which brought a charge of public intoxication.

Several officers on the scene were injured during the incident. One suffered a swollen lip and another an injured hand during the altercation; both injuries were documented via body camera footage.

Thomas’ wife, Antoinette Thomas, reportedly tried to intervene by preventing officers from arresting her husband. According to the report, Antoinette grabbed officers’ arms during the struggle, resulting in a minor injury to her lip as officers restrained her. She was also arrested and charged with simple battery and obstruction.

Thomas told officers he was trying to intervene in a dispute involving his cousin when the incident escalated. After the altercation, Thomas allegedly asked officers to reconsider the charges due to his position as a sheriff’s deputy, but he was nevertheless taken into custody. Both Bryon and Antoinette Thomas were transported to Southern Regional Hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the South Fulton precinct.

Officer Thomas was off duty at the time of the incident.