Mark Millican
Dalton Daily Citizen
DALTON — A supervisor with the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department reported several men fighting at Al Rollins Park near a playground Monday evening, but when police arrived any participants had left, authorities said.
“They had a baseball practice going on, and the site supervisor counted 10 to 11 cars on the south end of the park near a playground,” said DPRD director Ronnie Nix late Tuesday afternoon. “By the time police got there, they were gone. I really can’t tell you much about it, because I just found out.”
Supervisor Crystal White said she was in the concessions stand when a part-time worker ran up and shouted a fight was going on and to “call 911.”
Whitfield 911 said they received a call about the fight at 8:40 p.m.
“Most of the kids had left practice by that time,” said White. “I’m not sure, but it looked like the guys fighting were in their 20s. They weren’t playing around either — there were arms flying everywhere.”
She added there were no children in the playground area, but some coaches became alarmed and told players to get in their cars with their parents.
Police spokesman Bruce Frazier said when officers arrived the fracas had cleared out and there was “no one to interview, not even witnesses.”
White said police arrived in a good response time, but she believes those fighting saw her calling on her cell phone and left in two groups.
“I was still 100 yards away when they started leaving,” she said. “I have no idea how it started. I wasn’t working down here last year, but I never heard of anything like this happening at Al Rollins Park.”
Nix said he will ask police to patrol the area closely for awhile.
