Howard reviewing report of prosecutor's Atlantic Station arrest

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard released a statement Tuesday indicating he is reviewing the incident report surrounding the weekend arrest of Assistant District Attorney Miya Griggs.

Griggs, 29, was charged with three misdemeanors - disorderly conduct, obstruction and simple battery – after Atlanta Police said she interfered with an arrest outside the Yard House restaurant at Atlantic Station last Friday night.

According to APD spokesman John Chafee, police were called to the scene after Griggs’ male acquaintance, Zachary Mitchell, had been accused of grabbing the buttocks of patrons at the restaurant.

As officers attempted to question Mitchell, Griggs “pushed herself between the officers and presented a Fulton County District Attorney’s Office badge,” said Chafee, who indicated that Griggs attempted to intervene in the questioning, and walk away with Mitchell.

A security officer subsequently told officers that Griggs had flashed her identification and struck him in the face with it. Upon being detained by Atlanta Police officers, “both suspects began screaming obscenities at the officers in full view of the public,” according to Chafee.

On further investigation, the original victims decided not to press charges, but provided statements as to what had occurred. The manager at Yard House told officers that as Mitchell, 33, was being expelled from the restaurant, he finished his beer and acted as though he was going to strike her.

Mitchell was placed under arrest for city ordinance violations of disorderly conduct under the influence, disorderly acting violent with another and obstruction.

In his statement, Howard said the incident was “shocking to [Griggs’] colleagues.”

“Miya Griggs has been an outstanding employee with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office,” Howard is quoted in the statement. “She very quickly has progressed from her assignment in the complaint room to her current duties as second chair in the trial division. She is a soft-spoken, hard-working and very intelligent employee.”

Howard said after examining the incident report his office would make a “decision regarding Miya and her employment status.”

Griggs’ lawyer, Mawuli Davis, has said that she was only attempting “to de-escalate the situation.”