Police detained a 54-year-old convicted felon after an argument near the Eastside Trail escalated into a fatal stabbing Sunday.
ATLANTA, GA — A 29-year-old Atlanta man died Sunday after he was stabbed near a Kroger along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, and police detained a 54-year-old man they believe was responsible for the attack, authorities said.
Atlanta police said Zone 6 officers responded at about 4:01 p.m. Aug. 23 to a report of a person stabbed near 725 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE. Officers found the wounded man and emergency crews took him to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died. Authorities had not publicly identified the victim Sunday night pending notification of his family.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers detained Johnathan Hamby in connection with the stabbing. Police said Hamby is a convicted felon with an extensive arrest history and was on active probation related to an aggravated assault case in Brookhaven. Investigators said they also recovered a knife they believe was used in the attack. Hamby had not been convicted of a crime in connection with Sunday’s death as of the latest police update.
Investigators believe the two men became involved in a verbal argument before the encounter turned violent, Schierbaum said. Police did not immediately disclose what prompted the argument, and authorities said they did not believe Hamby and the victim knew each other before the encounter. Detectives continued working Sunday night to establish the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.
Schierbaum said police records showed Hamby had about 30 previous arrest cycles. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Fulton County Jail records included previous arrests involving allegations of battery, aggravated assault, obstruction, criminal trespass and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony. An arrest history alone does not establish guilt, and police had not announced a final set of charges in the BeltLine case in their initial public update.
The stabbing unfolded in a heavily traveled section of the BeltLine near the Kroger and Ponce City Market. Crime scene tape restricted access to part of the trail for several hours while investigators collected evidence. Schierbaum said nearby BeltLine patrol officers were among the first to respond and credited calls to 911 with helping police locate the scene and quickly take a person of interest into custody.
Witnesses described people running from the area as the confrontation unfolded. Jor’dan Armstrong told WSB-TV that he saw people begin to run and was later asked to help flag down an ambulance. Other BeltLine visitors interviewed after the stabbing said the daytime violence was unsettling in an area where pedestrians, cyclists, residents and visitors routinely gather.
Police said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public after Hamby was detained. Schierbaum said the department maintains a Path Force that patrols the BeltLine and nearby areas. Investigators were also examining whether mental health issues could have played a role, though police had not reached or announced a conclusion about a motive Sunday night.
The death is the second fatal stabbing reported on the Atlanta BeltLine in 2026. On May 14, a 23-year-old woman was fatally stabbed near Flagler Avenue NE. Atlanta police later identified the victim as Alyssa Paige and charged 21-year-old Jahmare Brown with murder and other offenses in that case. Police said Brown was also accused of attacking another person shortly before the BeltLine stabbing. The May case is separate from Sunday’s investigation.
Sunday’s stabbing remained under investigation late Aug. 23. Police had not released the victim’s name or a detailed account of what started the argument, and additional charging and booking information for Hamby had not been announced in the department’s initial account. Authorities said the detained man remained in custody as homicide investigators continued gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.