A man being robbed at the cash register inside Neiman Marcus at Lenox Square pulled a gun and fired shots Friday afternoon, according to Atlanta police.
Then, the man helped identify two of the people who tried to rob him, according to Officer TaSheena Brown. That’s when investigators realized the robbery victim was wanted for a prior crime.
“Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the victim in this case had an outstanding warrant and he was also taken into custody,” Brown said. “There were no injuries reported, however, the store did sustain some property damage from the gunfire.”
An off-duty Atlanta officer working a security job at the Buckhead mall was flagged down around 4:45 p.m. by someone saying there was a robbery in the department store, Brown said. The officer found the robbery victim, who said he was checking out when he was attacked by four men.
“During the attack, the victim produced a firearm and fired shots at his attackers,” Brown said in an emailed statement.
The four suspects ran from the store and eventually, two of them were captured and charged with robbery, authorities said. They were identified Saturday as 17-year-old Jamell Gaskin-McLaughlin and 19-year-old Delon Maurice Robinson, both of Detroit.
The man accused of firing the shots, 30-year-old Treonta Deon Williams, was charged with reckless conduct and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, police said. All three were taken to the Fulton County Jail.
Gaskin-McLaughlin was being held without bond late Saturday. He was also charged with drug possession and giving a false name, booking records showed. Robinson was also being held without bond.
From December to March, four shootings took place outside Lenox, ending with a deadly incident on March 8. That’s when investigators believe a Tennessee man was killed following a dispute over a parking space. Thuan Nguyen, 31, was shot in the head, according to police.
Four days later, Atlanta police charged 19-year-old Ricky James Lafargue with murder. But Lafargue is not in custody, according to Fulton County jail records.
Investigators arrested suspects in all of the other shootings at Lenox.
Four days before Christmas, a Macy’s employee was shot during an armed robbery in the mall’s parking deck. Carolyn Gilbert survived the shooting but was traumatized.
“To be robbed like this? I could have died. I could have died,” Gilbert told AJC.com in February. “I’m an aunt and godmother. I could have died, and that’s something I will have to live with the rest of my life.”
A shooting at Cobb County’s Cumberland Mall weeks before Christmas also left one person injured and led to two arrests.
Atlanta police and Simon Malls, which operates Lenox, have said the shootings are concerning and have prompted an increase in security. Police already have a mini-precinct at the mall.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
About the Author
