A man fled the state recently after attempting to break into a Marietta business and shoot a Cobb County police officer, officials said. Three days later, he was arrested in South Carolina.
Cobb police responded to an alarm activation in the 2700 block of Austell Road on July 13. When they arrived at roughly 4:18 a.m., Julio Figueroa was attempting to burglarize the business, officials said. Figueroa then pointed a handgun and attempted to fire at an officer, according to police.
Figueroa, who was arrested Tuesday in South Carolina, was charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, obstruction, burglary, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, loitering and prowling, and firearms charges.
According to his arrest warrant, Figueroa was found at the scene with a hammer and pry bar in his hand while attempting to enter the back door of the closed business. When he tried to fire at an officer, the gun malfunctioned, and Figueroa then fired several rounds at the ground before fleeing, the warrant states.
Neither the officer nor Figueroa were injured, officials said.
Investigators alerted the Richland County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina that Figueroa was suspected to be in that area after taking a bus to stay with family, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Richland’s Special Response Team and Fugitive Task Force arrived at the home in Richland around 3 p.m. July 16, the news station reported. More than two hours later, after officers were able to remove a woman and two children from the home, authorities used “chemical munitions” and Figueroa surrendered.
