Georgia · Cherokee County · Crime & Courts

Acworth Chick-fil-A Stabbing on Highway 92 Near I-75, GA — Mother Hospitalized, Daughter Stopped in Whitfield County

A stabbing in the parking lot of a Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 near Interstate 75 in Acworth sent a mother to the hospital Thursday afternoon, and her daughter was stopped by law enforcement about an hour and 15 minutes later in Whitfield County, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. Two children who were riding in the daughter’s vehicle were not injured. Neither woman has been named, and no charges have been officially announced.

By Kate Thompson Published Aug. 20, 2026, 5:02 p.m. ET 5 min read Mother taken to Wellstar Kennestone · Daughter stopped in Whitfield County · Restaurant temporarily closed

Key facts

What: A reported stabbing in a restaurant parking lot; a mother and her daughter were both injured
Where: The parking lot of a Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 near Interstate 75, Acworth, Georgia
County: Cherokee County
When: Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, about 2:30 p.m. ET
Responding agency: Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office
Hospital: The mother was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
First aid: Acworth Police officers who were off duty inside the restaurant used tourniquets on the injured woman
Traffic stop: N. Thornton Avenue just before Cleo Way, Whitfield County, about an hour and 15 minutes later
Agencies at the stop: Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol and Dalton city police
Children: Two children were in the vehicle and were not injured
Names: None released
Charges: None officially announced; the investigation is ongoing
Restaurant: Temporarily closed

What happened at the Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 in Acworth, GA?

An argument between a mother and her daughter in the restaurant parking lot turned violent about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, and both women were injured, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said.

“Preliminary indications are that a domestic dispute between a mother and daughter occurred in the parking lot,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. A woman was stabbed.

The mother ran inside the Chick-fil-A. Off-duty Acworth Police officers who were eating there applied tourniquets and helped her until an ambulance arrived. She was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Investigators marked a trail of blood leading from a vehicle into the restaurant, and evidence markers were spread across the parking lot, FOX 5 and WSB-TV reported.

The daughter drove north on I-75 with two children in her vehicle.

Who was hurt?

Both women. The mother was hospitalized at Kennestone, and the daughter was also injured, the sheriff’s office said. Two children were in the daughter’s vehicle and were not injured.

Neither woman has been identified publicly. “At this time, no names are being released as this is an ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office spokesperson said. Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jay Baker gave the agency’s account of the case.

Where was the driver stopped?

Deputies tracked the vehicle north using Automated License Plate Reader cameras, and Cherokee investigators contacted law enforcement agencies in North Georgia as it kept moving up the interstate. The driver had gone north almost to Tennessee, FOX 5 reported.

Dalton city police, Georgia State Patrol troopers and Whitfield County deputies carried out a felony traffic stop on N. Thornton Avenue just before Cleo Way, in Whitfield County. The stop came about an hour and 15 minutes after the stabbing in Acworth.

No charges have been officially announced, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said, and the investigation is ongoing.

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Is the Acworth Chick-fil-A open?

The restaurant closed after the incident and said so on its own Facebook page.

“Our restaurant is temporarily closed at this time,” the post said. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We’ll share an update when we’re able to reopen.”

Many employees left after the incident, FOX 5 reported. The store first opened in February, Atlanta News First reported.

Has anyone been charged?

No charges have been officially announced, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said, and the investigation is ongoing. Nobody named in this report has been accused of a crime.

Where is this Chick-fil-A, and which agencies are involved?

The restaurant is on Highway 92 near the I-75 interchange in Acworth. Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and are running the investigation; the Acworth Police officers who helped the injured woman were off duty and eating inside at the time.

The traffic stop pulled in three more agencies — the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol and the Dalton Police Department. More reporting from the county is collected on our Cherokee County page.

What we don’t know yet

What started the argument between the two women.
Whether the two women were fighting over a single knife, or how the weapon came into the fight.
The extent of either woman’s injuries, and the mother’s condition at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Whether anyone will be charged. The sheriff’s office said no charges have been officially announced.
What happened after the traffic stop in Whitfield County.
When the Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 will reopen.
The names and ages of the two women. None have been released.

Frequently asked questions

What happened at the Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 in Acworth, GA?
An argument between a mother and her daughter in the restaurant parking lot turned violent about 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, and both women were injured, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. A woman was stabbed, and the mother ran inside the restaurant, where off-duty Acworth Police officers applied tourniquets until an ambulance arrived.

Who was hurt in the Acworth Chick-fil-A stabbing?
A mother and her daughter were both injured, the sheriff’s office said. The mother was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Two children who were in the daughter’s vehicle were not injured.

Where was the driver stopped after the Acworth stabbing?
The daughter drove north on Interstate 75 and was stopped on N. Thornton Avenue just before Cleo Way in Whitfield County, about an hour and 15 minutes after the stabbing. Dalton city police, Georgia State Patrol troopers and Whitfield County deputies carried out the stop.

How did deputies find the vehicle?
Deputies tracked the vehicle using Automated License Plate Reader cameras and contacted North Georgia law enforcement agencies, the sheriff’s office said.

Has anyone been charged in the Acworth Chick-fil-A stabbing?
No charges have been officially announced, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said, and the investigation is ongoing.

Have the names of the mother and daughter been released?
No. “At this time, no names are being released as this is an ongoing investigation,” the sheriff’s office spokesperson said.

Is the Acworth Chick-fil-A on Highway 92 open?
The restaurant temporarily closed after the incident. “Our restaurant is temporarily closed at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We’ll share an update when we’re able to reopen,” the location said in a post on its Facebook page.

More Cherokee County reporting is on our Cherokee County page, other incidents on the interstate through Dalton are on our Whitfield County page, and current Georgia crime reports are collected on our Crime & Courts page.

Sources

Atlanta News First (WANF), “Mother, daughter injured after reported stabbing outside Chick-fil-A in Cherokee County,” published 4:42 p.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Source for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office account of a domestic dispute between a mother and daughter in the parking lot, the injuries to both women, the transport to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, the use of Automated License Plate Reader cameras, the traffic stop in Whitfield County, the two uninjured children, the statement that no names are being released, and the note that the location first opened in February.
FOX 5 Atlanta, “Mother hospitalized after parking lot stabbing at Acworth Chick-Fil-A,” byline Denise Dillon, published 4:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Source for the trail of blood marked from the vehicle into the restaurant and the evidence markers in the parking lot, the drive north almost to Tennessee, the stop on N. Thornton Avenue just before Cleo Way, the agencies at the stop, Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office as the official quoted, the departure of many employees after the incident, and the uncertainty over a Friday reopening.
WSB-TV, “Mom hospitalized, daughter wounded after stabbing outside metro Atlanta Chick-fil-A,” byline Alex Jones, published 4:49 p.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. Source for the roughly 2:30 p.m. timing, the wounds to both the mother and the daughter, the hospital transport, the northbound flight on I-75 with two children aboard, the traffic stop about an hour and 15 minutes later, and the Chick-fil-A statement posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Not read for this report: no incident report, arrest record or court filing was obtained directly from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office or the Georgia State Patrol. Every detail here reaches us through the three outlets above.

Reported and fact-checked as of 5:02 p.m. ET on August 20, 2026.

Every source linked here was opened and verified at that time. Coverage here is not updated automatically as a story develops.

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