Marietta Police use multiple beanbag rounds to subdue armed man
MARIETTA, Ga. October 5 2021— The Marietta Police Department said officers subdued a man with beanbag rounds on Saturday after he allegedly stole axes and went to a car dealership “holding both handles like he was going to use them to attack.”
The department said in a Facebook post that the man allegedly took two axes, which they posted a picture of, from a store on Cobb Parkway.
“When our officers confronted the suspect, he attempted to ignore them (and keep walking away) before changing his grip and holding both handles like he was going to use them to attack,” the post said.
At that point, according to Marietta Police, he “walked near a car dealership and was now getting close to multiple people that were looking at the cars for sale.”
Police said he refused again to drop the axes on command, and the officers then fired “multiple less-lethal beanbag shotgun rounds until the suspect eventually dropped” the two weapons.
He was then arrested and taken to a hospital to be checked after being struck by the beanbags, police said. The unnamed man now faces charges including shoplifting, obstruction, reckless conduct and pedestrian in the roadway.
The department said there were no serious injuries resulting from the incident.
“We are fortunate our city and police department have invested in both the less-lethal tools as well as training to handle complex situations like this,” Marietta Police said.
