The mayor of the city of South Fulton, Georgia, located approximately 20 miles outside of Atlanta, was arrested on Saturday morning and is facing charges of first-degree burglary and criminal trespass.
Khalid Kamau was booked into the Fulton County jail on Saturday afternoon and later released that evening on an $11,000 bond, according to jail records.
The police report stated that the homeowner received a notification on his phone at 6:52 a.m. from a surveillance camera that a person, later identified as Kamau, was walking onto his property. The homeowner stated in the report that he got dressed and watched the man walk up his driveway toward his home and lake house.
The homeowner said Kamau had already entered his lake house by the time he got into his truck. He told police that he approached Kamau in a cautious manner and then proceeded to call 911. The homeowner said he told Kamau to “stay put” while he was on the phone with 911 and held a gun toward him.
He stated that the South Fulton mayor began to walk away and he shouted “stay put” again.
Kamau reportedly then replied, “You can’t give me orders.”
According to the police report, the homeowner put his gun away and Kamau told him, “Do you know who the f— I am? I’m the mayor, and I’ll wait for my police force to get here and see what happens then.”
After officers arrived on the scene, the 46-year-old mayor told them that he was interested in buying the property and was aware that he was trespassing because he saw a “No Trespassing” sign on a chain-linked fence.
Kamau alleged that the homeowner said “No motherf*****r you stay right there” as he was walking out of the lake house. He also said that he tried to introduce himself to the homeowner but was warned that he would be shot if he took another step closer.
The report also mentioned that Kamau replied, “Are you going to shoot me while I’m walking away?”
The report also states that the mayor apologized and thought the home was abandoned. He told cops the property was his “dream home” and he wanted to purchase the house.
This is not the first time Kamau reportedly tried to abuse his power while in office, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Five of the seven South Fulton council members filed a lawsuit to throw him out of office in March.
The lawsuit said that Kamau “knowingly and intentionally disclosed confidential information for his and others’ personal benefit since his election to office.”
It alleges that he was recording “confidential executive sessions of the City Council — against the expressed wishes of City Council members.”
Kamau was elected to the city council in 2017 and elected mayor in 2021. The city of South Fulton was officially incorporated in 2017.
