Man arrested after allegedly entering Atlanta Publix with five guns and body armor

[mountaineer]

Man arrested after allegedly entering Atlanta Publix with five guns and body armor
 By Li Cohen
March 25, 2021 / 6:51 AM / CBS News

A man was arrested Wednesday after entering a Publix supermarket in Atlanta with five firearms and body armor, police said. The man, who Atlanta police have identified as 22-year-old Rico Marley, has been charged with reckless conduct.

Police did not provide evidence that Marley planned to carry out a shooting at the store that day. But the incident occurred in the wake of two mass shootings that have shaken the nation and prompted widespread calls for gun reform: the shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, that killed 10 people, and a series of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that killed eight.

Atlanta police said a preliminary investigation revealed that Marley entered the store Wednesday afternoon openly carrying a rifle and entered a bathroom. A witness noticed him and alerted a store manager, who then called police. Police said they responded to the incident shortly after 1:30 p.m. and "immediately detained" Marley when he exited the bathroom. Emergency medical responders also arrived at the scene to conduct a mental health evaluation.

Marley was carrying two long guns and three pistols, police said. Police did not report any injuries or any shots fired.   ...

CBS News

[mountaineer]

Everything Georgia
@GAFollowers
22 y/o Rico Marley was arrested and charged with reckless conduct. APD says he had 6 guns and was wearing body armor. They apprehended him coming out of the bathroom at the Atlantic Station Publix Wed. afternoon and Grady EMS did a mental evaluation on scene. No one was harmed.

8:04 AM · Mar 25, 2021

https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1375056093148233729

How the heck does any one person carry all that stuff?!

[thackney]

How the heck does any one person carry all that stuff?!

Duffle bag?

[mountaineer]

Duffle bag?

I guess. It seems he was going to start with one of the rifles and proceed to pull the other weapons out, one at a time, until he was done shooting (yes, I'm assuming his intent was to shoot people).

[BassWrangler]

https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1375056093148233729

How the heck does any one person carry all that stuff?!

It makes me think it's more likely just an idiot / loon, and less likely someone acting on behalf of a terrorist organization. No one with a clue carries a shotgun, rifle, three pistols, and a revolver - unless they are making a movie.

[mountaineer]

... Police identified the man as Rico Marley. He 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.  ...

Atlanta Journal Constitution.

More info:

... It is not known if Marley was allowed to go into hiding.* Georgian law requires permission to carry a concealed weapon in public, although state restrictions on who can obtain a permit are relatively limited.

Publix grabbed the headlines two years ago when the Florida-based chain urged customers not to bring guns to stores, even though local law allows it.  ...

Wikifoxnews
*Not sure what they meant by this. Not known if he was allowed to go into the building? Not known if he was allowed to carry concealed? Bad writing!  I wonder whether he had a criminal record - no word on that.

[GtHawk]

https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/1375056093148233729

How the heck does any one person carry all that stuff?!

Now you know why their pants 'sag'.

[thackney]

It makes me think it's more likely just an idiot / loon, and less likely someone acting on behalf of a terrorist organization. No one with a clue carries a shotgun, rifle, three pistols, and a revolver - unless they are making a movie.

I have to admit carry far more than that at one time.  But I used a wagon and was unloading at the firing range.

[BassWrangler]

I have to admit carry far more than that at one time.  But I used a wagon and was unloading at the firing range.

Yeah, been there too. But you know what I mean.  And I now have a rule of no more than 2 guns at the range. Got tired of the kids talking me into bringing an arsenal and then leaving me to clean everything on my own.

[Cyber Liberty]

Hey @pjcomix!  This is your favorite store for Couponing!  Do you think maybe he got so mixed up on the coupons he decided to do a "Standing Up" routine?

Just wondering....

[bigheadfred]

He was there to buy a boat...

[240B]

No one with a clue carries a shotgun, rifle, three pistols, and a revolver - unless they are making a movie.

yep. There are only two answers here from my point of view.
He was either going to shoot a lot of people, or he is an 'activist' of some kind who wanted to get caught.
And yes me too, I think the guy was watching too many movies and wanted to live out a real life fantasy.

Still can't figure out how they took him down with no shots fired and nobody dead or injured.
This should have been an hours long standoff with SWAT and everyone else involved.
Sounds like the guy...just gave up? Maybe when things got too real for him, he chickened out.

At least it was a Black guy. The press will play it down and drop the whole thing very quickly.
He does not play into their incessant narrative about fictitious violent White Supremacists.

[BassWrangler]

He was there to buy a boat...

Come on man, the "boating accident" isn't real, that's just your story when asked where all the guns went.

[Sled Dog]

There's a law against carrying guns in Atlanta?

There's a law limiting how many guns a person can carry in Atlanta?

There's a law against wearing body armor in Atlanta?

Maybe it's against the law for someone to use a Publix bathroom in Atlanta?

If the management of the store didn't first ask him to leave, can he even be charged with trespassing?

Sure, it sounds like the guy is strange, there certainly doesn't seem to be a good reason for carrying those items into the head,  but what harm did he do?   

[Smokin Joe]

There's a law against carrying guns in Atlanta?

There's a law limiting how many guns a person can carry in Atlanta?

There's a law against wearing body armor in Atlanta?

Maybe it's against the law for someone to use a Publix bathroom in Atlanta?

If the management of the store didn't first ask him to leave, can he even be charged with trespassing?

Sure, it sounds like the guy is strange, there certainly doesn't seem to be a good reason for carrying those items into the head,  but what harm did he do?

In that same vein, Maybe he wouldn't want to leave them in his vehicle (not secure enough, fear of theft), so keeping them with him might be the responsible thing to do.

Too little data, here, but I am glad no one was hurt.