Just two days after a mass shooting left 10 people dead at a Colorado supermarket, Atlanta police arrested a 22-year-old man who walked into a Publix at Atlantic Station with six guns and body armor.
Police were called to the grocery store on Atlantic Drive just after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and met with a manager who told them a man came in with a rifle and headed straight toward a bathroom, authorities said.
“A witness observed the male and alerted store management, who then notified police,” Atlanta police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Officers at the scene spotted the man leaving the bathroom and quickly took him into custody. According to police, his weapons included two long guns and four pistols, all of which were concealed.
Police identified the man as Rico Marley. The Atlanta man was booked into the Fulton County Jail on multiple charges of criminal attempt to commit a felony and weapons possession. Marley was scheduled for a first appearance before a judge Thursday morning.
Officers and paramedics interviewed Marley and conducted a psychiatric evaluation, authorities said. Police are still working to determine why he had so many guns inside the store.
In addition to the man’s arrest, police were also investigating a suspicious package that was discovered in the parking deck, authorities said. It wasn’t clear if the incidents were related, but Atlantic Station’s management shut down several interior streets as well as the parking deck at the request of Atlanta police.
Charles Russell, who delivers groceries for Instacart, said he entered the Publix restroom and saw the man with a rifle inside a stall.
“I seen an AR-15,” Russell told Channel 2 Action News. “(That) kind of startled me with the events that recently happened in the grocery store up in Colorado.”
The man was wearing a white T-shirt and black pants, Russell said, but apparently was not wearing the body armor at the time. Concerned for his safety and the safety of other shoppers, Russell said he told a manager what he saw and urged the store employees to call 911.
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In a statement, a Publix spokeswoman said the safety of customers and employees is the company’s priority.
“We are cooperating with local law enforcement on an incident that occurred earlier today in our Atlantic Station store,” Nicole Krauss wrote in an emailed statement. “We are thankful that there were no injuries, and all were able to exit the store safely. The store is currently closed.”
Atlanta police set up a perimeter around the open-air mall as officers investigated the armed man and the suspicious package. Atlantic Drive, one of the main surface streets that runs in front of Publix, was blocked to traffic by gates and security guards.
Credit: Henri Hollis / Henri.Hollis@ajc.com
Credit: Henri Hollis / Henri.Hollis@ajc.com
Shoppers were turned away as they approached the grocery store Wednesday afternoon, but there were still plenty of people milling about the shopping center. Most of those at Atlantic Station appeared unaware of the situation at the Publix as nearby restaurants served guests on patios and shops remained open.
It was an unusual day for attorney Matthew Wilson, who received two email alerts that security was locking the doors to the Wells Fargo building where he works. The first alert came in about 3:15 p.m. after someone was shot on the northbound platform of the Arts Center MARTA station.
“They said we were locking the doors to the building in case the individual decided to come inside,” Wilson said.
The second alert came in about two hours later after authorities discovered the suspicious package. Tenants were told the doors to the building would be locked again, along with the exits to the parking garage.
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