John Gardner

Name:
Gardner, John

Date of Booking:
10/24/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
DISORDERLY CONDUCT – M

SIMPLE BATTERY – FAMILY VIOLENCE – M

Public Drunkenness – M

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On Friday, October 24, 2025, at approximately 1656 hours, I was dispatched to Memorial Medical Center (MMC, 4700 Waters Avenue), in reference to a fight and disorderly person at the Heart and Vascular building. The call notes read as follows:

“MALE WAS ESCORTED OUT PREVIOUSLY, HE CAME BACK AND ASSAULTED A STAFF MEMBER”
“OUTSIDE OF THE HEART AND VASCULAR BUILDING”
“CALLER NOW STATES THE MALE DID NOT ASSAULT A STAFF MEMBER BUT FOUGHT WITH ANOTHER PERSON/VISITOR ON AND A STAFF MEMBER WAS HURT”
“CALLER IS IN THE SECURITY OFFICE, OTHER SECURITY MEMBERS ARE OUTSIDE AT THE HEART AND VASCULAR CENTER”

Upon arrival, I met with MMC Security outside. They explained that there was an altercation between a father and son on the second floor. They stated that the father, later identified as Mr. John Gardner was escorted outside because he assaulted his son, later identified as Mr. [VICTIM #1]. John also created a disturbance upstairs on the second floor in the visiting area.

I went to speak with John. He stood there and looked at me. I asked him why the police were called. He stated he was not sure why. I asked him if something happened inside. He stated nothing happened. I asked John for his name and to start the conversation over because I knew that something occurred for the police to be called. John explained that he got into an altercation with his son upstairs, while waiting to visit his wife, Ms. [REDACTED]. He stated she was currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

John stated that [VICTIM #1] disrespected him when trying to visit [REDACTED]. He stated that he needed to understand that he was the husband and was in control of what was going on. John stated the two got into a scuffle and it was broken up. I did not see any physical markings on John. I observed John to have slurred speech and he was unsteady on his feet. He also acted quiet and did not want to speak with me much. It appeared that he was intoxicated.

After speaking with John, I went and spoke with [VICTIM #1] upstairs. There were also other witnesses and staff members upstairs that saw the incident occur. [VICTIM #1] explained that John is an alcoholic and when he drinks he gets angry. He stated that between 1115 and 1330 hours, John left the hospital and upon returning he could smell alcohol on his breath. He stated he knew there would be problems as a result. [VICTIM #1] stated that John began to argue with the staff at the visitor booth and then began to act out in front of the other visitors.

[VICTIM #1] stated that he saw the way John was escalating his behavior and yelling at him so he got up to prepare for something to happen. He stated that John ended up getting closer and closer to him and once he ended up too close, [VICTIM #1] ended up trying to push him away to prevent him from advancing. This caused John to begin a physical scuffle with [VICTIM #1]. The two ended up wrestling on the floor and numerous visitors had to try and break up the fight. Once separated, John was escorted out of the area.

After speaking with [VICTIM #1], I spoke with a nurse, Ms. [WITNESS #1]. She stated that she one of the nurses that John was yelling at and trying to get answers from regarding [REDACTED]. She stated that John got up into her face and cursed at her. He also bumped into her.

After speaking with [WITNESS #1], I spoke with the visiting booth employee regarding what she observed. She did not want to provide her name but stated that John appeared to be intoxicated and was yelling at her about going back to visit [REDACTED]. She stated that John was acting out in the lobby area in front of the visitors.

After speaking with the other employee, I spoke with another witness, Ms. [WITNESS #2]. She was in the waiting room when she saw the way John was acting out and yelling. She stated John was the primary escalator in the altercation with [VICTIM #1]. [WITNESS #2] stated she saw John lunge at [VICTIM #1] after yelling at the visiting booth employee. She stated that [VICTIM #1] was only acting in defense and tried to stop the situation from getting worse. [WITNESS #2] had no affiliation with [VICTIM #1] or John.

After speaking with all involved, I was able to watch a video of the incident. In it, John is seen pacing back and forth upstairs in the visiting room. He is seen pointing at the employee in the visiting booth area. You can see in the video the other visitors acting alarmed based on his actions. He is seen pacing again and appearing to yell towards the direction of [VICTIM #1], who is sitting down.

At one point John goes over and is held back when trying to get closer to [VICTIM #1]. John is then seen lunging into [VICTIM #1]’ direction and the two begin to fight. The two are seen wrestling on the ground and then broken up. John is then taken from the area.

I went back outside and advised John that he was being placed under arrest. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted to the back of my marked police car.

Based on the facts and circumstances, John was placed under arrest and charged with the following:

O.C.G.A. 16-5-23: Simple Battery DVA – for intentionally causing physical harm to another. John attacked [VICTIM #1] in the lobby on the second floor, in front of the other visitors.

O.C.G.A. 16-11-39: Disorderly Conduct – for without provocation, uses to or of another person in such other person’s presence, opprobrious or abusive words which by their very utterance tend to incite to an immediate breach of the peace…when used to or of another person in such other person’s presence, naturally tend to provoke violent resentment, that, words commonly called “fighting words”. John was acting irate in the lobby area towards [VICTIM #1], the visiting both employee, and caused a public disturbance.

O.C.G.A. 16-11-41: Public Drunkenness – for a person appearing in an intoxicated condition in any public place or within the curtilage of any private residence. John was openly intoxicated in the hospital. [VICTIM #1] mentioned him being intoxicated. One of the witnesses, [WITNESS #2], stated that John appeared to be intoxicated. A beer bottle cap was also found in John’s pocket upon searching him incident to arrest. I also smelled alcohol on John when he was in the back of my police car.

John was taken to the other end of MMC to be medically cleared due to being involved in a physical altercation.

Another officer came to the scene and relieved me.

This ended my involvement in the call for service.

A Ban Form was filled out.

[End of Narrative]