Escaped inmate arrested after deadly stabbing in NE Atlanta

ATLANTA - An escaped inmate is back in custody following a deadly stabbing in northeast Atlanta on Friday night.

Officials with the Atlanta Police Department tell FOX 5 that 27-year-old William Tyler Coleman is facing charges of murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.

The incident began when officers responded to reports of a stabbing on the 200 block of Montgomery Ferry Road NE.

When officers got to the scene, they found the body of a man who had been stabbed multiple times. The victim's identity has not been released.

During their investigation, officers detained Coleman, who officials say matched the suspect's description.

Shortly afterward, officers discovered Coleman was wanted by the Department of Corrections for an escape.

Details of his escape have not been released, but records show that Coleman was convicted of robbery and simple battery in 2019. He was assigned to Atlanta Transitional Center on Ponce de Leon Avenue NE at the time of the stabbing.  His max possible release date was listed as Oct. 1, 2025, on GDOC's website. 

Coleman is now being held at the Fulton County Jail. Officials have not shared his relationship with the victim or the circumstances that led to the stabbing.

If you have any information that could help with the investigation, call the Atlanta Police Department.

William Coleman (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

Neighbors concerned about Ansley Park stabbing

Neighbors who live in the Ansley Park area tell FOX 5 that, while it wasn’t the only concerning incident to happen there recently, it was the most unsettling.

"It was a bit of a shock," resident Thomas Markovic said.

Markovic says he was walking his dogs on the BeltLine around 6 p.m. when he saw two men matching the descriptions of the suspect and victim sitting under the overpass on Montgomery Ferry Drive.

Some hours later, it was other residents of Ansley Park who found the victim’s body nearby just before 8 p.m.

"I think about 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., a neighbor called me and said ‘Hey, there’s been a stabbing … do you want to come down and talk to police about what you saw’?" he recalled.

Resident Shannon B. says she witnessed the scene that followed the fatal stabbing.

"I came out as soon as police arrived, and they were just starting to secure the scene," she said. "That’s, of course, very troubling … it’s unsettling to know people like that were just a few yards from my front door."

Markovic and Shannon B. say the stabbing was the most recent of several disturbing incidents in the neighborhood.

"We had one guy that was basically raging on the street this week. We called police about that ... he was pretty much completely exposed walking down the street throwing trash cans in the street," Shannon B. recalled.

While they tell FOX 5 they’re grateful the suspect was caught, there are still some lingering worries about safety in the area.

"It seems like there’s been an uptick in aggressive behavior by people," Markovic stated.

They say they want to see more APD patrols in and around this portion of the BeltLine.

"We do see police officers on the belt line on bicycles occasionally, but it’s pretty rare," Shannon B. said.