Man, 22, is detained after taking five guns and body armor into a Publix supermarket in Atlanta
- Rico Marley, 22, was detained by Atlanta authorities on Wednesday afternoon
- Police said he entered the Atlanta Station Publix with five guns and body armor
- He was carrying two long guns and three pistols, authorities said in statement
- Police said Marley has been charged with reckless conduct and taken to jail
Atlanta authorities detained a man Wednesday afternoon after he walked into a Publix supermarket with five guns and body armor.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department told DailyMail.com that a witness at the Atlanta Station Publix saw the 22-year-old man, who has been identified by police as Rico Marley, enter the store carrying a rifle.
The witness ‘alerted store management who then notified police’ just after 1.30pm.
Atlanta authorities detained a man Wednesday afternoon after he walked into a Publix supermarket (pictured with police cars outside) with five guns and body armor
A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department told DailyMail.com that a witness at the Atlanta Station Publix saw the 22-year-old man enter the store with the weapons and ‘alerted store management who then notified police’ just after 1.30pm
Upon arrival, officers met with management who ‘stated a male armed with a rifle entered the location’ and went straight to the bathroom.
Responding officers said they saw Marley trying to quickly leave the bathroom before he was detained.
‘During the investigation, officers recovered 5 firearms and body armor from the male’s possession, 2 long guns and 3 pistols,’ the statement from the department reads.
Grady EMS conducted a mental health evaluation on the man at the scene.
Police did not say if the man is licensed to carry. It’s also unclear why he entered the store with all of the weapons, though Georgia is an open-carry state.
Marley was taken into custody and charged with reckless conduct, police said. He will be transported to the Fulton County Jail for further processing.
Upon arrival, officers (police car pictured) met with management who ‘stated a male armed with a rifle entered the location’ and went straight to the bathroom. Marley was detained a short time later and has been charged with reckless conduct, police said
No other information was immediately available as police continue the investigation.
Meanwhile, authorities also said that they are currently investigating a suspicious package that was at the same Publix supermarket.
Police did not say if Marley also left the package at the store.
Atlantic Drive, a main street running in front of the store, was closed to traffic.
Shoppers were being turned away as they approached the grocery store, but there were still plenty of people milling about the open-air mall.
The incident comes just two days after a gunman killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colorado,
It also comes just a little over a week after a gunman killed eight people, mostly Asian Americans, in Atlanta.