A Monroe County man was arrested Tuesday after police said he stole a cart full of groceries from an Athens Aldi and then aimed a gun at an employee who followed him out.
Garland Alan Paschal, 47, faces four felonies and a misdemeanor drug charge in connection with the incident, jail records show.
Officers responded to the grocery store on Gaines School Road about 6:15 p.m. Monday after getting a call about the incident, according to an Athens-Clarke County police report.
The 21-year-old employee said he confronted the man after watching him push his cart past the checkout line and out the door. He followed Paschal toward Cedar Shoals Drive and asked if he paid for his groceries, according to the report.
Paschal reportedly said “yes,” and continued walking away quickly as he pushed the groceries through the parking lot.
A few moments later, the employee told him to stop again. Paschal turned around, pulled out a black handgun and aimed it at the Aldi worker as he told him to stop following him, according to the report.
The employee returned to the store and called 911.
Police later identified the suspect as Paschal, who is also accused of shoplifting from Lowe’s and the Walmart on the east side of the city, police spokesman Lt. John Radford said.
Paschal was arrested Tuesday afternoon on three counts of theft by shoplifting, one count of aggravated assault and one count of possessing drug related objects, jail records show. He remains held at the Athens-Clarke County Jail without bond.
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