UGA student charged in high school cross country race attack

NEWNAN, Ga. - Newnan police officers arrested a college student after witnesses reported he put on an opposing team's jersey and attacked a high school runner during a cross country race. 

Newnan cross-country race attack

What we know:

Officers with the Newnan Police Department responded to reports of an assault at a cross-country race featuring high school runners across Coweta County.

Investigators said Aiden Dombrowski, a former Northgate High School cross-country runner who now attends the University of Georgia, drove from Athens on Friday night, slept in his car, and put on an East Coweta High School jersey on Saturday morning.

Dombrowski emerged from the woods carrying rocks in his hand and struck a Newnan High School runner in the middle of the competition, according to authorities. The runner defended himself during the altercation, leaving Dombrowski with a visible cut above his right eye. Officers called an ambulance to treat Dombrowski at the scene.

Body camera footage captured Dombrowski turning himself in to officers in a nearby parking lot. He claimed the incident was intended as a prank and denied hitting the athlete, but witnesses and the victim reported that Dombrowski initiated the attack. Witnesses who recognized Dombrowski from his time at Northgate High School identified him to responding officers.

He was booked into the Coweta County Jail on a charge of battery.

Motive and school reactions

What they're saying:

A spokesperson for Coweta County Schools called the incident bizarre, while a spectator described the event as something out of a Netflix show. 

Unanswered questions in case

What we don't know:

Police have not determined why Dombrowski targeted the specific runner or what prompted the incident. Authorities have not disclosed whether Dombrowski had any prior personal history with the victim.