Bombs in Atlanta: Vince’s Story
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So I decided to become a cop, something I've always wanted to do, and applied with the Atlanta Police Department in 1994. Went through the police academy the latter part of '95 into '96, and we graduated just in time for the Olympics. We were considered the Olympic class, so they were trying to rush classes through because they wanted to get as many police officers on the street during that time as possible.

Vince Velasquez was a 29-year-old rookie cop during the tumultuous 1996 Atlanta Olympics. You heard part of his story in episode one, but there's a lot more to it. Sure, he was a rookie cop that summer, but just the year before, he had also become a dad. Vince's personal experience of the bombings was something we felt compelled to share with you in full. To be quite honest with you, I just thought it was a cool-ass job. And then in the later years, I was a rookie cop.

realized that, you know, this is one, not as easy as I thought it would be. Two, way more dangerous than I ever thought it could or would be. And then most importantly, more impactful than I ever thought it would be. So I had just got out of field training and I fell into this cadence of the entire department working the Olympics, 14 hour shifts, six days a week, one day off a week.

We were providing security along with the FBI and federal agencies and state agencies. So it is policing, but it's not in a true sense of policing. You're assigned a post. You have very strict instructions of what to do with that post. Like your job is sit here, stand here. Don't let cars through unless they have this proper identification. Be alert. Report what you see. I started on a fixed post and that was a controlled section. General traffic was not allowed on that street. So that was my post.

That particular day in July of 1996, I don't recall how far we were into the Olympics, but it seemed to me a ways because I remember being worn out for the long days. And I was relieved. You have like four hours. I'm like, OK, I could just walk around, do what I want. Yeah. Remember, I'm a rookie cop. I don't know shit about shit. Right.

I'm like, yes, sir, I'm out, you know. So I had purchased a brick for my son. When they were pre-construction of Centennial Olympic Park in preparation for the Olympics, they had a campaign where you can purchase a brick, help fund the park, and you can have an inscription on the brick. For just $35, you can adopt an inscribed brick to be placed in Atlanta's new Centennial Olympic Park. Do it now.

Do it for yourself or for a friend. To adopt your Olympic brick, stop by the Home Depot or call 1-800-496-BRICK. So I bought one, 50 bucks. My son was born March 1st, 1995. So I bought a brick and I inscribed it with my son's name is Jonathan Taylor Velasquez. I call him JT. To JT, from dad with love, his birthday 3-1-95. I don't know why I thought in the middle of the Olympics with this four hour break, with

literally thousands of people walking around Centennial Park. I was going to find this brick. I'm in uniform. I've got a orange traffic vest on because that's what we were required to wear. They wanted you to stand out. They wanted people to know that you were police. And here I am. I'm walking down Centennial Park. Thousands of people. It was hot.

I remember that. And, you know, bulletproof vests under your, I mean, I'm just sweating bullets with a towel on my neck. I remember getting near Lucky Street and I was going to turn right. There's where the main entrance for law enforcement to come through. And it was not far from the soundstage. And I recall as I'm walking and I start to turn right, I probably took four, five steps into the park and the bomb went off. And the

Pressure from the bomb knocked me on my ass, like literally pushed me backwards. It's like it rattles your brain. But I'm the cops. I'm supposed to know what's going on. But I felt for a moment helpless, like what happened? Like what was that? Until I smelled what smelled to me like a million matches burning. If you've ever smelled the matches to sulfur. Now, I don't know if that was the ingredients of the bomb, but it smelled like that to me.

And I realized, I'm like, that was not good. That was a bomb. Something just happened. But what was interesting, the bomb went off and it was silence. It seemed like forever, but it couldn't have been long. And then I hear screaming and people just screaming and running. So I run into the park because I'm figuring that's what I have to do. I'm a cop. Try to figure out what's going on. Georgia State Patrol, I believe, was the heavy police presence there.

from my recollection at that checkpoint. I remember seeing a lot of them because they wear light blue shirts running around. I saw people running into the park. I saw people running out of the park. And then when I looked to my left, I recall a grassy hill just as I walked into the park to the left. And I saw a few people laid out on that hill. And I thought, wow, okay, those are victims. But then I later found out that I think one of them may have been someone who had some shrapnel

But what I found out later was journalists, cameramen, who were rushing into the park were trying to capture this footage and Georgia State Patrol was telling them to get out. And if my recollection serves me, from what I was told from a very reliable source, that at least two of the people on that hill were cameramen who got knocked out by Georgia State Patrol because they wouldn't listen to them. And I do recall seeing some camera equipment next to them. And I was like, okay.

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We'll be right back.

for a 25 cents per gallon bonus on your first tank. That's code TRAVEL for a 25 cents per gallon bonus. Right away, I understood that there was mass casualties. I think over 100 people got injured in that bombing. I wasn't aware right away that someone had died. I think I found out an hour or so later. So basically, you know, at this point, I can't even get on my radio. A lot of us are on the same frequency.

And you can only imagine the radio traffic was just all over the place. So I found it best for me to stay off the radio. There's really nothing for me to contribute at this point. So I just helped. I helped where I could, pushing people out towards the ambulances and things. I had the requisite training to at least help people. You know, I may not know how to write a hell of a report, but I know what to do when people are injured. And I found myself just doing that.

I mean, when I tell you the chaos was indescribable, it was literally, I couldn't tell who was who. Although I knew, my gut told me something bad happened. Something intentional happened. It's a bad person. I don't know who that bad person is. I don't know why they did it, but it happened. So now I'm in defense mode and I'm thinking, well, shit, could it be one of these people running out of the park? But there's thousands of people running.

It made no sense for me to try to figure that out. So I'm literally going through these and this is an analytical person. So I'm thinking, you know, not domestic terrorism. I'm thinking, you know, this is international terrorism because what better place to do it than the world stage of the Olympics.

So I didn't know what to expect. This is probably a foreign government or a foreign entity who are making a statement, going through these steps in my mind. And I'm like, OK, the only thing I can do right now is help people who are injured. That's it. And let the powers that be try to figure this out. So I stayed for about an hour and I just went back to my post. But I have a newspaper article. I saw it later. They took a photo from inside the park out towards the entrance. And it's me with my back turned and can't

I could see my orange vest. I think my hands are on my hips. Like, I'm probably thinking, like, what the fuck is going on here? You know, this is crazy. And then, you know, we're just everybody's in lockdown. So back to my post, you know, we weren't sure if the Olympics were going to continue. And we soon found out that, yes, they are going to continue. And we're going to press on with our regular schedule. I think I ended up working about 18, 19 hours that night before I was relieved. And I had to be right back the next day.

If you've heard episode one, you know how the rest of the story goes. In less than 24 hours, the Olympics would pick back up, racing to the finish line, without any further issues. Unfortunately, the following January, the bomber would also pick things back up, carrying out his own demented game.

So now fast forward. I was living in Sandy Springs. My son was born March of 95. His mother and I were not married at the time. So anytime I was not working, I'd go pick him up. He'd spend, you know, three or four nights with me. And I picked him up the night before, you know, I'm going to wake up. I got all day with him before I got to go back to work.

At this point, my son is almost two years old. So that particular morning, I had woken up early, he's fussy, 6 or 7 a.m. I lay back on my bed with him just to calm him down. He finally falls back asleep. And then out of nowhere, it felt like the windows in my bedroom were about to break. Like it was, I can't even describe how loud this felt. It just, like my whole apartment shook. In fact,

I had a clock on the wall that fell off the wall. And my first thought was, damn, are we having an earthquake? We don't have earthquakes in Georgia, I don't think. You know, I don't know what that was. It wasn't a boom I heard. It was just my entire building just shook. And my instinct was to jump on top of my son. So I literally just flipped over, got on top of my son, shield him. I'm thinking the roof is going to fall in. And everything just kind of settles down. Well...

Of course, I turn on the news and I couldn't believe what I'm seeing. It's like, OK, there's a bombing right down the street at an abortion clinic. And I'm like, well, damn, that's right down the street. In fact, that's where my attorney, that's her office is right there. So I called her. I couldn't get her on the phone.

If you remember Rob Stadler from episode two, Vince is talking about Rob's wife's law firm, the same law firm where Rob picked up his twin girls, the one housed two stories above the abortion clinic in the Sandy Springs Professional Building. And again, I'm watching the news. So later in the afternoon, I decided to go to work earlier. I took my son to daycare earlier and

And then I'm at the precinct because I don't know why I felt I just needed to go in earlier. And we're watching the news. And I had no idea at the time that a second device went off. Now, to be honest with you, I don't know if the first or the second device that went off is what caused my apartment to shake. I obviously missed one of them.

I'm thinking gas line. I don't know. But then we're talking about secondary device. And I'm like, all right, here we go again. This is not natural. It's not gas. This is bad. It's not us. It's a bad guy. But I'm still not putting those two things together. It's a rundown office building in the Olympics that doesn't make sense to me at this time.

Remember, we don't know who did the Olympic Park bombing. I'm already in the mindset that the Olympic Park bombing is a terrorist attack. Why would a terrorist want to blow up

an office building. Makes no sense. Those two lines didn't converge in my mind. It's like, okay, it's unfortunate that this happened. It wasn't even an exercise of me trying to disprove why they're not connected. The thought never even entered my mind. Like, I never even had that thought process, like, these two things could be related because they were so different. I didn't connect the dots at first with the Olympic bombing and the abortion clinic until the other side lounge was bombed.

So when that bomb happened, I start connecting the office bombing with the other side lounge bombing. But then I start thinking, this is just too coincidental to have three bombings in a city, right? They're all intentional. Then I'm thinking, well, shit, these have to be related. You know, because I'm thinking a gay lounge is bombed. An abortion clinic is bombed. The Olympics are bombed. These three things have to be related. This is beyond coincidental.

And then the Alabama abortion clinic bombing happens. And as we know, a police officer is killed. So we really are paying attention to this now. Like, who is this guy? Is he targeting police officers? Obviously, he's got a problem with abortion. That's two abortion clinics. If it is connected with the Olympics, now we have three deaths. And who knows how many other people were, like, permanently injured in the Olympic bombing. So I started really looking at, you know, I'm talking...

This is like AOL days, right? Like dial up the internet. And I'm just like reading. And at the same time, I'm like, Richard Jewell? Like this makes no fucking sense, right? So like I'm amateur sleuthing this whole thing, right? Not that I have great investigative skills in 1997, but this doesn't make sense to me. On one hand, I'm like, this is all connected. It's not Richard Jewell.

Right. Alabama, three in Atlanta. This guy's got a problem with abortion. This guy's got a problem with gay people. And whoever knows what his statement was for the Olympics. But this is political. This is someone who has some ideological problem with certain groups of people. And he's trying to make a statement. The people are dying. And it's not Richard Jewell.

And remember, I'm talking to you now from someone who spent 22 years as a cop, 17 years in homicide. It's easier for me to digest this. And my perception now is they made a ton of mistakes. Looking back at it, you know, hindsight being 2020, the FBI, the ATF and APD, it seemed to be a strained relationship.

Federal agencies, the ATF, taking control because it is a bombing. The FBI having the terrorism aspect of this thing, if it indeed is not domestic. And then APD, it's in our city. So at the end of the day, this is a homicide. This goes on the books in the city of Atlanta as a homicide, two homicides to be exact. Alice Hawthorne and the journalist, which means a homicide detective gets assigned that case. I didn't know all that then. I know that now. So while a detective is working that case,

He has or she has to work with whatever federal agency is now taking charge of this because of the nature of how it happened. It was all fucked up. Nobody knew what the other agency was doing. And that's always problematic. There are times where high standards are vital. For example, your football team wouldn't let just anyone start a quarterback. Go!

And should you let just anyone give you guidance? We don't think so. In fact, at California Psychics, 98% of the psychics who apply to work with us don't make the grade.

You see, we come from the home of free spirits and open minds. We're not short of spiritual believers or big dreamers. It's why we know better than anyone what makes a good psychic. California Psychics connects you with the very best, so we can guarantee if your reading isn't life-changing, it's free. Download the app or connect with us at CaliforniaPsychics.com. Right now, new customers receive 20 minutes for just $20.

So, there's never been a better time to give our services a try. That sounds like a touchdown to me. Experience the joy of certainty.

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every time I fill up. I've already made around $200, $300. You're putting gas in your car anyway. Why not get real cash back? If you like free money, download Upside. I'm saving the cash I earn from using Upside to help pay for a vacation later this year. Download the free Upside app now to earn cash back every time you buy gas. Use promo code TRAVEL.

to get an extra 25 cents per gallon on your first tank. You can cash out anytime right to your bank, PayPal, or a gift card for Amazon and other brands. Just download the free Upside app and use promo code TRAVEL for a 25 cents per gallon bonus on your first tank. That's code TRAVEL for a 25 cents per gallon bonus. The Richard Jewell story is just sad. It's a sad testimony to not, you know, this is a guy that really tried to do the right thing.

But it's a testimony like some shitty police work. That's some bullshit what they put this guy through. And I can tell you as a detective, it's easy when you have a piece of information that comes your way and it lands in your lap and it helps you, right? The problem is when you have another piece of information that contradicts that, it completely throws you off. It doesn't fit with what's going on and the way you want things to go because this guy has to be it because he's

everything's lining up. And the truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter. The truth is the truth. It's like a compass. No matter how you turn it, it's always going to point north. That's the truth, period. When I look back at this case, to me, it seems like they had laser vision on Richard Jewell. And the sad part is when you have laser vision on something, you miss so much else that is probably evidence that you need to be collecting or looking at.

Because that's what tunnel vision is. You can't see past these blinders. I'm not criticizing the FBI. I don't really know because I wasn't in the know. I don't know the particulars, but it's just we know he wasn't the guy. But he was the guy for a while. If you look back at these news clippings, you look at history, you know, in a civil jury decided y'all made him the guy because they awarded him a shitload of money for that. I mean, they ruined this guy's reputation. He had a poor guy died. I think he died of a heart attack.

Out of all your memories surrounding these bombings, what sticks with you the most?

The moment I had to jump on top of my son, instinctively, like just knowing that I have to just cover him. I don't know what's coming next. You know, put me to the point of thinking that I literally was close to this guy that killed people. Like, here we are again. You know, you almost got me in 96 and now you almost got me and my son. I mean, if I could feel my window shaking and I'm thinking the roof is coming down that moment.

I mean, it was it was fight or flight. Right. So I couldn't go anywhere. I had to discover my son and hold hope that nothing happened. So that was a wake up call for me. Like this shit is real. Like this guy's really trying to hurt people. You know, I mean, thankfully, I was far enough away from it that we weren't injured. But it did put it in perspective. Like I could have been I could have had an appointment that morning with Christine.

Like Christine could have been in her office. I could have been like, I'm on my way to daycare. Let me just pop in with my son. And we could have been sitting in her office right where that ceiling caved in. And I wouldn't be talking to you right now. You're a natural storyteller. So all these questions I had laid out, you were hitting on your own. Oh, cool. Thank you. Cool. Glad I could help, man.

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