Authorities have arrested a security guard accused of shooting an Atlanta police officer who was responding to a burglary call early Thursday at a luxury clothing store in Midtown.
Paul Andrew Augustin, a 41-year-old security guard at the A Ma Maniére boutique on Marietta Street, was jailed after investigators determined he fired the shot that injured the officer.
Police announced the arrest in a news release late Thursday afternoon. Augustin faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless conduct, according to the release.
The burglary suspects remain at large.
Officers were called shortly before 6 a.m. to investigate the burglary in the West Midtown shopping district. According to Assistant Chief Darin Schierbaum, officers were met with gunfire while investigating at the menswear boutique, which specializes in high-end sneakers.
One officer was shot and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital.
While the wounded officer was in good spirits and recovering, Schierbaum said were it not for the quick work of his fellow officers and the care he received at Grady, his life would have been at risk.
“Our officers work daily for the good of our citizens responding to crimes large and small, ensuring that the citizens are safely taken care of,” Schierbaum said from outside the hospital Thursday. “This shows this morning, at 6 a.m. as many of us were preparing to start our day, officers were serving the city and one was seriously injured.”
Police did not release the name of the four-year department veteran. The location of his injury was not disclosed, but Schierbaum said initial reports that the officer was grazed were incorrect.
“He was shot and immediate medical care had to be rendered to ensure that injury was not life-threatening,” he said.
His fellow officers applied a tourniquet and waited for an ambulance to arrive. A convoy of police vehicles escorted the officer’s ambulance as it made its way to Grady around 6:30 a.m.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Augustin was detained at the scene and questioned Thursday morning at police headquarters, Schierbaum said. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and homicide detectives were able to establish probable cause to secure warrants for Augustin’s arrest, police said.
He was taken to the Fulton County Jail, where he remained in custody without bond Thursday evening.
At A Ma Maniére, a large hole could be seen in a cinderblock wall behind the shop and a black Mercedes-Benz was towed from the scene. Video from another business showed four suspects go up a ramp to the back alley, where the hole in the wall was, according to Channel 2 Action News. The suspects covered the cameras and lights in the back alley with garbage bags, the news station reported.
It’s not clear where the security guard was located during the burglary.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
The shooting and the burglary are separate investigations, according to Schierbaum, and both are in the early stages.
“It is our diligence of this department to hold every burglar accountable, and we will not lose sight of that as we care for our officer,” he said.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
