3 Pittsburghers charged with domestic terrorism following Georgia incident
Seven people, including three from Pittsburgh, are facing charges of domestic terrorism after a shoot-out Wednesday at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in Georgia.
Spencer Bernard Liberto, 29, Matthew Ernest Macar, 30, and Sarah Wasilewski, 35, were taken to DeKalb County Jail earlier this week and charged with domestic terrorism and criminal trespassing, with additional charges pending, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
During court proceedings Friday, each was granted $15,000 bond over the state’s objection, according to Yvette Jones, a spokeswoman for the DeKalb County district attorney. Each was ordered to return to Pennsylvania, stay away from the incident location and return to Georgia only for court appearances.
Liberto, Macar, Wasilewski and others were living in campsites to protest the construction of the training center, according to media reports.
Police said that as law enforcement officers were moving through the property around 9 a.m. Wednesday, a man inside a tent in the woods did not comply with police orders and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper. Other law enforcement officers returned fire, hitting the man, who died at the scene. The shooting suspect later was identified as Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, 26.
The injured Georgia State Patrol Trooper was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery, police said.
Authorities declined to comment Friday on the scope of the shoot-out or say whether other protesters were involved.
“As this is an open case, pending indictment, we are unable to offer additional details regarding the investigation, including specifics related to the defendants’ alleged involvement in connection with the offenses for which they are charged,” Jones said.
Police said in a statement that they located and removed approximately 25 campsites from the training center land. Police added that they found mortar-style fireworks, multiple edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks and a blow torch at the site.
Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.