Customers at a popular Marietta go-kart venue were sent running for cover Sunday evening after shots rang out in the parking lot and a man ran inside the building with a gun.
The gunfire outside Andretti Indoor Karting and Games on Roswell Road forced the business to close early, Marietta police said in a statement.
Officials at the scene determined the incident began as an armed robbery attempt on a man who was walking from his car toward Andretti, according to Marietta police spokesman Chuck McPhilamy.
A group of people got out of a black 2018 Honda Accord and approached the man about 7:10 p.m., he said. One of them pulled out a gun and demanded the man’s jewelry and money.
When the man refused to hand over his belongings, the suspect fired off two rounds, McPhilamy said.
The man, who was not hit, pulled out a gun of his own, according to McPhilamy. However, police said he did not return fire. Instead, the victim ran back inside the arcade with the gun in hand, McPhilamy told AJC.com.
Customers inside the gaming center panicked, thinking the armed victim was actually the shooter, he said. Bill McGritty told Channel 2 Action News he immediately ducked as the incident unfolded.
“I was scared,” McGritty said. “I was scared out of my life. I was about to call my mom.”
Police said no shots were fired inside the facility and no injuries were reported.
Credit: Marietta Police Department
Credit: Marietta Police Department
Within a minute of the first shots ringing out, a Marietta police officer who was working a part-time security job at Andretti pulled into the parking lot. When the marked patrol car entered the lot, the suspects fled the area, McPhilamy said.
Investigators are still working to identify them. According to surveillance footage, the passenger side is damaged and the front right tire has been replaced with a temporary wheel.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Marietta police.
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