Aiden Dombrowski, a 19-year-old University of Georgia student and former Northgate High School cross-country runner, is facing a battery charge after police say he attacked a high school runner during the Coweta Cup in Newnan. On September 26, witnesses said Dombrowski came out of the woods wearing an East Coweta High School jersey and carrying rocks before confronting a runner. The runner fought back, and Dombrowski later turned himself in. Police found the jersey in his vehicle. He told officers the incident was a joke, while witnesses described a different sequence of events.
Who is Aiden Dombrowski? His school and running background
Dombrowski is from Newnan and previously attended Northgate High School, where he competed in cross-country. Results from 2023 also list him running for Northgate. He later enrolled at the University of Georgia in Athens. Police confirmed he was never a current or former student at East Coweta High School, despite the jersey he wore during the race.The race was the Coweta Cup, a meet involving Coweta County high schools. Police said Dombrowski drove from Athens on Friday night, slept in his car and appeared at the race the next morning. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, he then wore the East Coweta jersey and went into the woods.Newnan police said they were called to 56 Sewell Road at 7:59 a.m. after a 911 call about an assault. Witnesses told officers that a man came from the woods holding rocks, ran toward a runner, pushed him and struck him with his fists. The runner defended himself, leaving Dombrowski with a cut above his right eye. He then ran back into the woods.Dombrowski later surrendered in a nearby parking lot. He had changed clothes, but officers found the East Coweta jersey inside his vehicle. He was taken to Coweta County Jail and charged with battery. The investigation is ongoing, and police have not given a motive.
What did Aiden Dombrowski tell police after the attack?
Body-camera footage captured Dombrowski speaking with officers after he surrendered. An officer asked: “So you don’t know that kid at all?” He replied: “I know him. I’m not friends with him. No bad blood. Acquaintances.”He also described the incident as a joke and denied punching the runner. The victim and witnesses gave police a different account, saying Dombroski started the confrontation.Police Lt. Josh Jordan told FOX 5 Atlanta: “There must have been, because a person doesn’t normally wake up and decide to drive two and a half, three hours away to a high school cross-country match, put on an opposing team’s jersey and then attack a student from the words.”A Coweta County spokesperson called the incident “bizarre,” while a spectator described it as “like something out of Netflix”. Reporter Doug Evans compared the attack to the 1994 Nancy Kerrigan assault involving Tonya Harding, though that comparison was made in media coverage, not by police.As of October 3, Dombrowski faces the battery charge, and authorities have not announced further charges. The Newnan Police Department has confirmed that he had no current or former student connection to East Coweta High School.