South Fulton cracks down on party houses after violent incidents

South Fulton cracking down on party houses

South Fulton police are intensifying efforts to address nuisance party houses following violent incidents, including a shooting and a fatal hit-and-run near Pittman Road.

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - The city of South Fulton is cracking down on party houses.

This comes after a woman was shot and wounded near a house on Pittman Road and another was killed in a separate hit-and-run nearby.

What they're saying:

Chief Keith Meadows says police in South Fulton are cracking down on nuisance homes in his city. "We won’t tolerate disturbances to the quality of life of our residents in the City of South Fulton," Meadows said. "It's a growing regional issue, with many people buying large homes and throwing lavish parties."

Neighbors have complained about noise, trash, and parking problems. "Residents came forward and they were outraged," Meadows said.

The final straw came at a Memorial Day party at a sprawling property on Pittman Rd. called Lake Demo. "We’ve had some incidents where people have been shot at some of these party homes," Meadows said.

"We’re in the process of compiling many of the 911 calls we received with respect to many of these locations and have our analysts taking a look at them," Meadows said.

Meadows says he talked to the owner of that property after the Memorial Day party. "I told him that we weren’t going to tolerate loud noise and disturbing the quality of life of our residents," Meadows said.

Police say the property owner this past weekend threw a party anyway, inviting hundreds of guests and charging them $25 each.

"It is illegal," said Councilmember Carmalitha Gumbs, District 2. "You have to have a permit to do large-scale parties, and we also have special-event permits that you have to get approved by the council as well."

Police arrested Michael Williams. "They found loud noise and other violations, and they charged him with keeping a disorderly house," Meadows said.

What we know:

Police say a woman who attended that Memorial Day party was shot and wounded nearby. She’s expected to recover.

In a separate hit-and-run, a vehicle struck a 23-year-old woman along with another woman after they got off a shuttle bus that left that location. It is not clear if they were at that party. Police say the 23-year-old woman died.

What's next:

Meadows says he wants to give property owners a chance to comply. "We’re in the process of trying to reach out to those homeowners, quite frankly just to give them a warning on what our intentions are," Meadows said.

Williams is charged with keeping a disorderly house. He is not charged in the shooting or the hit-and-run.

The shooter is still on the run, as is the driver in that separate hit-and-run.