ATLANTA — An Atlanta police report details the chaotic moments after a 5-year-old boy got pinned between a curvy bolted chair and the staircase wall of Atlanta's Sun Dial restaurant. The restaurant has a revolving floor that gives diners a 360-degree view of the city while eating.
The parents were sitting at a table adjacent to the window, viewing the city, and the child was playing and wandered off behind tables there.
[RELATED: Charlotte boy who died at rotating restaurant in Atlanta identified]
Sgt. Warren Pickard said the floor rotation was clockwise and Charlie Holt was moving counter-clockwise, trying to get back to his parents. The space in which he was stuck between the wall and the chair measures just about 5 inches.
“Sometimes, things without rhyme or reason happen, and that's what we have,” Pickard said. “I thought about it all night and into the next day, (about) what could have possibly been done to save him.”
The family's waiter jumped the staircase and shut off the rotation device, rather than relying on an automatic sensory shut-off. That allowed patrons, employees and the family to rip the chair from the floor and get to the child.
“People acted heroically,” Pickard said. “They tried to rescue the kid.”
The Sun Dial closed over the weekend, and there has not been any update about when it may reopen.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Office of Insurance and Fire Safety confirm they are not regulators in this case and Atlanta police say from their standpoint, this is considered an accident.
There are no intentions to file charges against anyone.
Charlie's family released a statement Tuesday:
Charlie Holt was the sweetest, most accepting, and lovable child who had a hug for everyone. He never met a person or an animal whom he did not immediately love. Everyone was his friend. His thirst for knowledge and adventure was infectious. Everyone so loved sweet little Charlie.
The family said in lieu of flowers and to honor Charlie, a memorial fund has been established to preserve his memory and to allow children to fulfill the dreams that Charlie was unable to experience.
The Charlie Holt Memorial Fund
Towne Bank
5806 Harbourview Boulevard, Suite 201
Suffolk, VA 23435
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