More footage of ex-judge’s arrest at Georgia nightclub

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Atlanta police have released several hours of new surveillance footage from the night a former Douglas County judge was arrested at a Buckhead nightclub.

Christina Peterson’s attorney, Marvin Arrington Jr., said he plans to carefully review the tapes and hopes they will confirm several facts about that night, including that it was all what he called a misunderstanding.

The new footage includes at least five hours of scenes in which Peterson is visibly emotional and is seen in the back of a police car.

Police initially said Peterson pushed an officer during a “riot” at a Buckhead nightclub. Arrington said she was helping another woman who was the victim of an altercation.

According to Arrington, Peterson had no idea the person approaching her from behind was an officer. He added that they want the charges against Peterson dropped.

“I think in the heat of the moment, trying to protect this young lady, she had no idea that this guy was a police officer,” Arrington said. “In fact, you can hear people on one of the recordings yelling, ‘That’s a police officer, that’s a police officer,’ so that to me indicates that she and others had no idea that the man was, in fact, a police officer at the time.”

Arrington told Atlanta News First they are preparing a motion to dismiss the order and are filing a motion for immunity.

Peterson was a judge in Douglas County but was removed from office for unrelated violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct.