Cops: Man accused of shoplifting shot by Walgreens security guard in Midtown

Atlanta police are charging a Walgreens security guard after a shooting in Midtown on Friday morning that injured a shoplifting suspect.

The guard, whose name was not released, told police he attempted to take the suspect into custody after a theft at the Walgreens location on Piedmont Avenue near North Avenue. Officers were called to the store shortly before 5 a.m. and found the man with a gunshot wound.

“The security guard told officers he attempted to apprehend the suspect for theft but the male fled,” a police spokesman said in a statement. “The guard fired a shot in the air to get him to stop. The male then charged the guard and the guard shot him.”