A security guard working in Midtown was grazed in the leg early Sunday when he responded to screams from a robbery victim, police said.

Joseph Carter, 55, of Jonesboro, was working security at 116 Juniper Street when he heard a man screaming outside and went out to see what was going on.

John Clayton, 25, told police he was walking down Juniper about 3 a.m. when a car began following him. He said a man in the car jumped out, produced a handgun and robbed him of his wallet. Clayton then began screaming, police said, and Carter was shot when he responded.

The shooter then jumped back into the car. Atlanta police spotted the car and gave chase. But two men in the car jumped out of the vehicle while it was still moving and escaped into an apartment building on Boulevard Avenue. The vehicle rolled onto a sidewalk and hit a tree.

Carter was treated at the scene.

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Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC