Cop Borrows Bike, Helps Catch Skatepark Murder Suspect

A murder suspect in a shooting near the Old Fourth Ward skatepark was arrested Tuesday after an Atlanta police officer borrowed a man’s bicycle and chased him on the Beltline, authorities said.

Nicholas Fonseca, 21, was wanted in connection with the death of 37-year-old Andrew Scott Callahan, who was shot multiple times Sunday evening near the skatepark, AJC.com previously reported.

Officers located Fonseca shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday while canvassing the area near Willoughby Way where the shooting occurred, Atlanta police spokesman Officer Steve Avery said. When he spotted the officers, Fonseca reportedly pedaled away on a bicycle, prompting a pursuit on the Beltline’s Eastside Trail. Body camera footage released Wednesday shows two officers running in the direction of the suspect before one of them borrowed the bike from a passing cyclist.

“Let me borrow your bike, man,” the officer said before hopping on and continuing the chase. According to police, the officer was able to keep up with Fonseca long enough to radio ahead to his colleagues with the man’s location. Another officer caught up to Fonseca’s bicycle and arrested him near Ponce City Market.

He remains held at the Fulton County Jail on one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, online records show. Following Fonseca’s arrest, the bicycle used in the chase was returned to its owner. “We are proud of the work our investigators put into this case and proud of the efforts made by our officers in pursuing and apprehending this dangerous suspect,” Avery said in a statement. “Additionally, we are grateful for the assistance of the cyclist in loaning us his bicycle.”
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