We lived on the perfect street... then an army of squatters arrived: AR-15s and naked pool parties destroy town... as lease trick hoodwinks cops
A peaceful neighborhood has descended into anarchy after an army of squatters arrived and hijacked a row of houses.
The street in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, has seen a huge influx of vagrants since last May - and cops have been struggling to kick them out.
They have turned up armed to the teeth with AR-15s, threatened locals and turned former family homes into drug-fueled pool parties.
One of the houses was seized by the squatters less than 48 hours after the lawyer who owned it died, leaving his relatives devastated.
They snapped the locks, ripped out the alarm system and used a U-Haul to move in to the $500,000 home during the dead of night before the man was even buried.
Squatting has become an epidemic in Georgia, especially the Atlanta metro area, where over one thousand homes have been hijacked.
In 2024 it was estimated they took over roughly 1,200 in the city, according to the National Rental Home Council trade group.
Kevin Oliver, whose father was the $500,000 home, revealed the devastating speed the squatters moved at to set up residence.
Residents in the DeKalb County neighborhood are living in fear as more squatters have arrived, targeting more than a dozen homes, one seen here, managed by corporate landlords that had been sitting empty
The Oliver family home, where for seven days, a group of strangers hijacked the $500,000 property, which their successful lawyer father designed and built more than 60 years ago
Oliver, who lives just two blocks away, told the Daily Mail: 'We lost our father on a Tuesday and on Thursday, we learned someone had taken over the home that he built with his hands.'
He said a neighbor called to congratulate him on selling the home but also to inform him the new 'owners' seemed a little 'off.'
He revealed they parked a U-Haul van in the driveway, then blasted music, filmed social media videos and drilled out the locks.
They then invited neighbors to a 'VIP' pool party complete with food trucks and valet parking.
Oliver continued: 'We couldn't get them out. And when I confronted them, they pointed assault rifles at me in the doorway.
'They didn't know who I was and told me they owned the house. Thank God I was calm that day. I just left and we called the police.'
While the homes in Decatur may look boarded up and abandoned, many people are seen coming in and out, day and night, often for parties
A row of homes in Decatur, Georgia have been taken over by squatters who police can't get out for days on end
Oliver and his three siblings, Lisa, Marlene and Marcus, were deep in grief at the time the squatters moved in.
Their mother passed away a year before their father, and they spent months caring for him as his health declined, before transferring him to hospice in the week he died.
Oliver said: 'These guys knew the house had been empty.' The house, part of their parents' estate, had been placed on the market while their father was in care.
It was under contract and scheduled to close two days after he died. 'We were closing on the place that day, I thought maybe they moved in early.
'But they just broke in. There was a lockbox on the house, and they broke in. We believe they had inside information.
'They target homes they know are vacant or about to be vacant. They knew the sale was taking place that day, so they moved in before the new owners could.'
A boarded up home in Decatur, where squatters have taken over houses that investors bought in order to rent out
An entire block of a neighborhood in Decatur has been taken over by squatters who have boarded up windows to avoid detection
The Oliver siblings contacted police and were baffled to discover the squatters produced a lease when officers visited the home.
Under Georgia law, producing a lease - even a fraudulent one - means police could not immediately remove them. And so they left.
'They know the system,' Oliver said. 'The police arrived, he was ready with a lease. That's how professional they are.'
The Oliver family then filed what is known as a squatter's affidavit under the recently passed Georgia Squatter Reform Act.
This allowed police to return after a week, cite the squatters criminally for trespassing and expedite the process of bringing alleged squatters to court.
Squatting is now a criminal offense in the state, and offenders can be removed in days rather than months or years.
Hollyhock Terrace used to be a nice suburban neighborhood until squatters took over, breaking into homes and throwing parties
Hollyhock Terrace looks peaceful from above, but down on the streets the neighborhood's homes are filled with squatters who have broken in to multiple homes
The fake lease the squatters showed added an extra felony charge. Others occupying the home had prior records filled with crimes related to squatting, drugs, and gang activity and at least one arrest has been made.
Alleged squatter Dontarious Issac will face court next month. The Olivers were relieved, but upon reentering the home, they found it was trashed.
Oliver said: 'Holes in walls, trash everywhere, drugs, guns, broken windows all had to be cleaned up.'
He continued: 'We were still grieving our dad, our mom, and then dealing with this while losing him.'
The Oliver family ended up completing the sale with the original buyers. Oliver added: 'It's a young family, we are happy they can make memories there.'
Squatters in the homes often produce fake leases, which buys time to stay for a few days while police work to remove them
Since then more homes have been seized by squatters in the neighborhood, with more than a dozen empty properties managed by corporate landlords impacted.
The houses appear boarded up and abandoned from the outside, but people are seen going in and out and hosting parties in the evenings.
There was trash strewn across the street and locals have reported an uptick in thefts in the area.
A spokesman for the DeKalb County Chief Executive Office said: 'Regarding potential squatters of residential property, the cooperation of the property owner is essential.
'If the owner, whether individual or corporate, cannot be reached, investigation and prosecution of these matters become far more difficult.
'Because of that, there is no one to say that they are squatters and no one willing to prosecute them.'
