Marietta man charged with child cruelty after 13-year-old drives off embankment

Written by: A. Smith

Published November 13, 2025 @ 8:01 AM ET

COBB COUNTY, Ga. – A 74-year-old Marietta man is facing child cruelty and reckless conduct charges after police say he caused a 13-year-old girl to drive off a 10-foot embankment at a senior living complex earlier this fall.

According to an arrest warrant from the Marietta Police Department, the incident happened around 4:50 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Alexis Parc, a 55-plus senior living community located at 341 Roselane Street NW.

Investigators say Mahmood Bakhtiary reached into a vehicle where the 13-year-old girl was sitting in the driver’s seat and shifted the gear into drive. The car then lurched forward and went over a roughly 10-foot embankment, police said. Authorities have not said whether the child or anyone else was injured in the crash.

Bakhtiary was arrested on Oct. 26 and booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center. He faces charges of second-degree cruelty to children, reckless conduct, and a second count of second-degree cruelty to children, jail records show.

He was released the following day, Oct. 27, on a $2,500 bond, according to Cobb County jail records.