A routine attempt to stop an illegal dirt bike on the Atlanta BeltLine's Eastside Trail turned into a struggle that ended with officers pulling a firearm, more than $3,000 in cash, and six different types of drugs out of the rider's backpack. Police have identified the rider as James Womack, and the encounter unfolded near 676 Irwin Street Northeast on August 7.
According to CBS News Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department had received a report that motor vehicles were being operated on the BeltLine, which prompted officers to patrol near Irwin Street. When they spotted Womack riding the dirt bike, they tried to stop him — a maneuver that quickly turned physical. As reported by WSB-TV, the stop took place along one of the busiest stretches of the 22-mile trail.
An officer asked Womack to take off his backpack, and he resisted, according to officials cited by CBS News Atlanta. That resistance led to a struggle, and another officer tackled the man into plants alongside the trail before he was taken into custody.
What Was Inside the Backpack
Once officers searched the backpack, officials say they found a firearm, along with methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA pills, psilocybin mushrooms, amphetamine pills, and a hydrocodone pill. Per the itemized breakdown reported by WSB-TV, the backpack contained $3,248 in cash, 110 grams of marijuana, 15 grams of mushrooms, 13 MDMA pills, 9 grams of cocaine, 6 amphetamine pills, 3 grams of methamphetamine, and one hydrocodone pill, in addition to the gun.
Womack was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, obstruction, possession of marijuana, and possession of cocaine, and he was taken to Fulton County Jail. Under Georgia Code § 16-11-106, carrying a firearm while committing a felony is a distinct charge that carries a mandatory five-year prison sentence to be served consecutively upon conviction, according to Justia Law.
Why Dirt Bikes Draw a Police Response
Gas-powered dirt bikes and mopeds are strictly prohibited on the BeltLine's multi-use paths under city code and BeltLine guidelines, while permitted e-bikes and e-scooters are capped at 15 mph, according to Atlanta Beltline Inc. Operating a motor vehicle on the trail violates city ordinance, which is why the initial report of dirt bikes on the BeltLine drew a patrol response in the first place.
The Eastside Trail near Irwin Street sits within one of the most heavily used segments of the BeltLine loop. A May 2026 economic impact report found the 22-mile trail draws roughly 2.5 million visits a year, with 60 percent coming from local Atlanta residents, and it sustained more than 91,000 jobs in 2025, per PR Newswire. That volume of foot traffic is part of why enforcement against motorized vehicles remains a priority for the department.
The Unit Built for the Trail
Officers who intervened are part of the specialized Path Force Unit, which the City of Atlanta Police Department established in July 2013 to patrol the BeltLine's trails and adjacent parks by bicycle and specialized vehicle in places standard cruisers can't reach. The unit also coordinates with Atlanta Fire Rescue Department Mobile Medics, who ride bicycles equipped with defibrillators and medical supplies to reach trail stretches unreachable by ambulance, according to the City of Atlanta.
This is not the first time the BeltLine has seen a significant police interdiction this year. In March, Atlanta officers sprinted along the trail to break up a teen takeover, resulting in 14 arrests and multiple firearms recovered. In April, a pre-dawn shooting near 663 Boulevard NE in Old Fourth Ward, close to the Eastside Trail, left a 29-year-old man in critical condition, and in May police temporarily closed a stretch of the BeltLine near Ansley Golf Club to search for a suspect following a daytime stabbing.
