A former Kroger employee in Alpharetta is accused of calling the store and threatening to kill everyone inside if he didn’t receive his final paycheck, police said.
Demarious Merkerson allegedly complained that his last paycheck didn’t come quickly enough after he lost his job at the grocery store located at 12460 Crabapple Road, police told Channel 2 Action News.
“The ex-employee didn’t like that,” Alpharetta police spokesman Howard Miller said. “(He) continued to call and harass the people that worked there to the point he was actually threatening to kill everybody if he didn’t receive his money.”
Miller told the news station that officers responded to Kroger twice because of the calls, and after confirming the threats, they arrested Merkerson on felony terroristic threats charges Oct. 3.
“The problem is we don’t know if they’re bluffing,” Miller said. “The person could be desperate and very serious and show up to the location with a weapon or something else and start going on his word to start harming or killing people.”
A Kroger spokesman sent Channel 2 a statement about the incident that said, in part:
“The safety of our employees and our customers is our top priority and we appreciate the Alpharetta Police Department’s prompt assistance. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”
Merkerson remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond, according to jail records.
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