MARIETTA — A man left with life-threatening injuries after being run over outside a Marietta nightclub Saturday morning may have provoked the driver who hit him, according to video evidence gathered by police.
What’s Happening: Marietta Police went to the Mayan Night Club at 585 Franklin Gateway on the morning of May 2 after someone was run over in the parking lot. A fight started inside the club and spilled outside, police say.
What the video shows: Surveillance footage recovered at the scene tells a different story than what witnesses first described. The man who was run over pulled out a handgun and pointed it at 25-year-old Giancarlo Estudillo Villegas of Marietta while Villegas was driving through the parking lot. Villegas then drove over the man. Police recovered the handgun at the scene.
What’s Important: No charges have been filed against either person. Marietta Police are not releasing the name of the man who was run over, referring to him only as “pedestrian.” He remained in the hospital with life-threatening injuries as of Monday.
What We Know About Villegas: Villegas called 911 himself shortly after leaving the scene and told dispatchers he had been involved in the fight. Cobb County officers detained him and brought him to Marietta Police for questioning.
Security guard: One club security guard was knocked down while trying to stop Villegas from driving away but was not seriously hurt.
The Path Forward: Because video shows the man who was run over pointed a gun at Villegas first, investigators may weigh whether Villegas acted in self-defense. Under Georgia law, self-defense can be a legal justification for using force, including with a vehicle. No charges have been filed against either person, and the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Fowler at (770) 794-5388.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
