Police seize guns, stolen mail from Atlanta home

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Police and federal agents raided a southeast Atlanta home on Thursday, seizing stolen mail, check-making equipment and guns.

Henry County Police Capt. Jason Bolton said the raid was part of an investigation into check forgery in Henry County.

Police detained eight people in handcuffs in front of the house at 47 Moreland Ave. for several hours.

On Thursday afternoon, officers released six people and transported two to an Atlanta Police precinct for questioning, Bolton said.

One of the men was taken to jail after detectives learned he was wanted on an unrelated warrant.

Additional charges are pending, Bolton said.

Police served a search warrant and found scanners, computers and blank checks  -- as well as mail allegedly taken from mailboxes in Henry County -- inside the home, Bolton said.

The house also had about half-dozen firearms, including an assault riffle, Bolton said.

"Certain evidence was at this home on Moreland," he said. "They were using the equipment to reproduce checks from the information that was taken in the mail."

The raid occurred early Thursday when about two dozen Atlanta Police SWAT Team members, ATF agents, Postal Service police and Henry County police went to the Moreland Avenue house.

Officers went to the home with a search warrant, but no warrants to make any arrests, Bolton said. The Postal Service police were there because the house had mail that had been stolen from Henry, Bolton said.

Detectives wanted help from the Atlanta police's SWAT Team because they had information that one of the men in the house was "potentially dangerous," Bolton said.

The investigation is ongoing and police are still searching for several suspects.

Staff writers Megan Matteucci and Mike Morris contributed to this story