Rayshard Brooks protests: Woman jailed in connection with Atlanta Wendy’s fire

ATLANTA – A woman who says she was a close friend of Rayshard Brooks remains in jail in connection with a fire at the Wendy’s where Brooks died in southwest Atlanta.

Brooks was laid to rest Tuesday afternoon after police shot and killed him in the parking lot of the Wendy’s restaurant along University Avenue earlier this month.

The attorney for Natalie White said White was close friends with Brooks, but the attorneys for Brooks’ family said they are unaware of any connection between the two.

White is accused of helping to set fire to the Wendy’s the night after Brooks was killed.

Protesters sent WSB-TV′s Audrey Washington pictures and video of a woman using what appeared to be an aerosol can to spread the flames.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit said it was in talks with White’s attorney and with the District Attorney’s Office on Monday and Tuesday to negotiate White’s surrender.

Gwinnett County sheriff’s deputies said they located White at an office building in Fulton County and then notified U.S. marshals.

In police body camera footage from the night he was killed, Brooks mentioned his girlfriend, who he said was named Natalie White.

“You know, Natalie White, she’s my girlfriend. She left off. I said, ‘Babe, I’m going to get Wendy’s,’” Brooks told the officer that night.

Investigators won’t comment on whether the suspect is the same person Brooks mentioned.

White’s attorney said she was a close friend of Brooks.

The attorneys for Brooks’ family, L. Chris Stewart and Justin Miller, sent Washington a statement saying:

“We are unaware of any connection between the Natalie White that was arrested today for arson and the Natalie White mentioned by Rayshard Brooks in the bodycam video.

“The only person who could answer questions regarding any connection they may have had is Natalie White.

“The family of Rayshard Brooks is still grieving his loss. He will be greatly missed by his widow Tomika Miller and their children, as well as his many family and friends.”

A group of about 50 protesters gathered Tuesday night outside the Fulton County Jail, demanding White be released.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said White is due to appear before a judge Wednesday.

She faces first-degree arson charges.

There is at least one other suspect investigators are looking for in this case. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. There is currently a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.