Riveting video shows Chick-fil-A employee bravely fighting gun-wielding burglary suspect



A brave Chick-fil-A employee in Georgia risked his life and bravely thwarted an armed robbery last month. Riveting video shows the fast-food worker fighting off the suspected robber for three minutes.

The intense confrontation occurred around 4:30 a.m. July 1 at the Chick-fil-A in Stone Mountain, Georgia, which is about 30 minutes northeast of Atlanta.

The worker was able to get the suspect in a headlock and shoved him into the back room.

A delivery driver for the Chick-fil-A restaurant was preparing for his workday when 51-year-old Tommie Lee Williams used a rock to smash through the drive-thru window, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.

The masked burglary suspect is seen on surveillance video — which you can view on the Facebook page for the sheriff's office — escorting the employee into the back area of the restaurant. Williams is seen pointing a gun at the worker and instructing him to open the safe in the back room.

The sheriff's office noted that the suspect told the victim "he was going to die if he didn’t open the safe" and pointed a handgun at him. However, the employee informed police that he did not know the safe's combination.

Suddenly, the employee saw an opportunity and lunged at the gun.

What ensued was a violent altercation that lasted minutes.

The worker was able to bearhug the suspect so he couldn't aim the firearm at him. The Chick-fil-A employee also landed several punches and elbows. However, the alleged robber smashed the worker with the gun.

During the turbulent tussle, the gun fell to the floor as both men continued to wrestle each other.

The worker was able to get the suspect in a headlock and shoved him into the back room.

The suspect is seen on video choking and kicking the employee.

Soon the suspect broke free and retrieved the firearm from the ground, after which the pair struggled for the gun.

The suspect then retreated to the kitchen, which is out of view of the surveillance camera.

Police said Williams fled the restaurant through a rear exit door and escaped before police arrived at the crime scene.

Detectives identified a vehicle seen in the area that they tied to Williams.

Law enforcement officials obtained warrants for Williams, and officers with the U.S. Marshals and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department arrested him Wednesday.

Williams faces charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, burglary in the second degree, kidnapping, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and criminal damage to property in the second degree.

Williams was booked at the Gwinnett County Jail. A bond amount was not immediately listed in online jail records.

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Vehicle with out-of-state plates smashes into front gate of Atlanta FBI office, driver arrested



A car with out-of-state plates smashed into the front gate of the FBI's field office in Atlanta, Georgia. The driver of the vehicle is in custody, according to authorities.

Just after noon on Monday, a vehicle rammed into the barrier at the FBI's Atlanta field office in Chamblee, Georgia.

The orange-colored vehicle was identified by law enforcement as a Buick Encore with South Carolina license plates.

According to witnesses, the driver attempted to infiltrate the FBI field office by following closely with a government employee's car that had gained entrance into the FBI facility. The alleged infiltrator's vehicle reportedly collided with the front gate of the FBI facility. Authorities said a pop-up wedge barrier prevented the man from driving into the FBI facility.

According to NBC News, "When needed, the cheese-like steel triangles can raise so one surface or its bollard-like forms face a potential intruder at a vehicle-stopping height. They're often rated by federal entities for their ability to stop vehicles based on their weight and speed upon potential impact."

The driver exited his vehicle and attempted to gain access to the FBI facility. However, the man was allegedly immediately tackled by law enforcement.

"Several of our special agents who were passing by apprehended him," said Peter Ellis, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta office. "He was not associated with this facility."

The FBI said the man was "not associated with this facility."

Bomb squads were sent to the crime scene to investigate the suspect's vehicle, but no explosives were found.

FBI spokesperson Tony Thomas stated that no weapons were found in the vehicle.

DeKalb County Police allegedly arrested the driver on Monday.

Ellis pointed out that the suspect was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Authorities had not determined a motive for the incident.

The suspect is still in custody as of Monday night.

The suspect has yet to be publicly identified.

The FBI stated, "Currently, we are looking into both state and federal charges."

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Car rams into gate at FBI building in Atlanta www.youtube.com

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'Our beautiful angel': Stray bullet kills 21-year-old woman as she was ending shift at Georgia bar



A 21-year-old Georgia woman was killed by a stray bullet as she was ending her shift at a Georgia bar on Sunday, according to authorities.

Around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday, Brianna Long was wrapping up her shift as a bartender at The Pier in Remerton, Georgia. Roughly 40 minutes after the bar closed, shots were fired outside of the bar. A stray bullet pierced the building and struck Long, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Long was rushed to South Georgia Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death.

The GBI said in a statement, "The early investigation indicates that the shooting stemmed from some type of altercation that happened outside The Pier. Many patrons were outside during the shooting and multiple vehicles were shot."

The shooter has yet to be arrested or charged in the shooting.

The GBI is urging anyone with information on the fatal shooting of Long to contact them at the GBI Thomasville office at 229-225-4090 or the Remerton Police Department at 229-247-2320. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), or online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.

Long was a soccer star in high school and was selected out of 5,000 students to be named the recipient of the Regional Winner for Positive Athlete Georgia in 2019.

Long was a fourth-year dental hygiene student at Valdosta State University.

"Our hearts are broken over the senseless loss of Brianna Long. We are keeping her family and friends in our thoughts and prayers," said Robbyn DeSpain — director of Strategic Communications at Valdosta State University.

WXIA-TV spoke with Brianna's father, who said their family is still in disbelief and hopes the community realizes what an incredible person the world lost with her death.

The Pier bar wrote a dedication to Long on its Instagram page.

"As most of you know we lost the beautiful soul of Brianna Long tragically and suddenly early Sunday morning," the tribute reads. "Writing this seems impossible and is incredibly devastating, like a terrible nightmare we wish we could all wake up from. It’s hard to find the right words because there is really nothing right about the situation."

"If you knew Bri, you loved her. Her kindness and love radiated onto everyone who had the opportunity to meet her, know her, and love her," the commemoration states. "The impact she left on people and her community is what makes this so hard, yet so memorable."

"As of right now we are trusting in the Lord for comfort and some kind of understanding of his greater plan even though that seems tough in situations like these," the post says. "We ask for prayers, love, and kindness as everyone involved, her friends, her family, and anyone who knew and loved Bri is trying to find a way to cope. Bri is watching over us all, our beautiful angel."

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Victim identified in Remerton bar shooting www.youtube.com

Video shows road rage suspect allegedly fire 12 shots with toddler in car, hit driver and critically injure innocent bystander: 'He was trying to kill me'



An apparent road rage incident in Georgia turned dangerous when a driver allegedly unleashed a barrage of gunfire while he had an infant in his vehicle.

Michael Gabriel was driving to a doctor's appointment on Wednesday morning when another driver allegedly brake-checked him for possibly tailgating. Gabriel said the driver in front of him slammed on his brakes so hard that he was forced to swerve into the outside lane to avoid a collision.

Gabriel then pulled up next to the Ford Mustang on Ga. 365.

"He didn’t like getting flipped off," Gabriel told The Times of Gainesville, Georgia.

The driver brake-checked Gabriel again. Then the Mustang driver got behind Gabriel and allegedly fired off three gunshots.

"He’s a little bit behind me, kind of diagonally," Gabriel explained. "So I look back and that’s when I saw his window coming down, the gun coming out. Pow! Pow! Pow!"

A bullet pierced his back window, traveled through his car seat, and tore into his right shoulder.

Gabriel told WSB-TV, "There wasn’t a warning shot. He was trying to kill me."

Gabriel pulled out his smartphone to take a video and capture the license plate number on the Mustang. However, when he got near the Mustang, he dropped his phone as nine more gunshots rang out. The alleged gunman got out of his car and reportedly fired on Gabriel's SUV.

During the second shooting, a bullet struck Gabriel in the lower back.

“Had that back shot had any more power, or if the trajectory had been any different, if that seat hadn’t — if it wasn’t built exactly like it was, that could have took out a lot of my organs,” Gabriel said. “It could have been game over.”

Gabriel called the police. He was rushed to the hospital and released later that day.

"It took a serious hand to God to keep me alive and here today,” Gabriel said.

However, a 65-year-old innocent bystander was not so lucky. Paula Kay Blackwell was “caught in the crossfire,” according to Lt. Kevin Holbrook of the Gainesville Police Department. Blackwell was shot in the kidney and was in critical condition as of Thursday, police said.

Video shows Gabriel's Chevrolet Tahoe riddled with bullet holes.

Gainesville police arrested 26-year-old Steven Dallas Cooper. He was charged with aggravated battery, criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal damage to property, reckless conduct, and aggravated assault. Cooper is being held without bond in Hall County Jail.

Cooper had a 2-year-old child in the backseat of the car during the alleged shooting, according to police.

Gabriel's advice for future road rage situations, "It’s so not worth this. If someone makes you mad, wave at them and say a prayer for them.”

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Road rage shooting suspect had toddler in backseat www.youtube.com

Georgia mother accused of butchering her children and setting her house ablaze faces death penalty



Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a 40-year-old Georgia woman who is accused of maliciously murdering three of her seven children and turning her home into an inferno.

According to the Paulding County sheriff's office, on June 24, police received a domestic disturbance and house fire report at 776 Woodwind Dr. in Rockmart, Georgia. A female inside the house was reportedly trying to stab other occupants as fire began to spread.

In one 911 call, a neighbor told police, "The mom had killed the infant and is trying to kill the other children. ...They just jumped out the window, escaping the chaos."

Paulding County deputies and firefighters arrived on the scene and rushed in to rescue Darlene Brister and her children. However, little could be done for the 3-year-old and 9-month-old baby, who were pronounced dead at the scene, the former having been found stabbed multiple times.

Three additional children, ages 5, 9, and 11, were rushed to local hospitals. The 5-year-old succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Though in critical condition, the 9-year-old survived.

In their search, firefighters and deputies found two additional children: a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, neither of whom were injured.

After the fire was extinguished, investigators, including agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, sought to determine the cause of the chaos.

Darlene Brister was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of malice murder. On June 26, Brister was also charged with arson and an additional count of malice murder.

On August 31, a Paulding County grand jury indicted Brister on three counts of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of first-degree arson, and seven counts of first-degree cruelty to children.

Paulding County district attorney Matthew Rollins announced on Thursday that he would seek the death penalty against Brister. "This is not a decision that I have reached lightly, but given the facts and circumstances surrounding this case, I feel this is the appropriate action."

'The mom had already killed the baby' | Chilling details released in 911 calls from Paulding County youtu.be

Brister's husband, Ricky, who indicated he now lives for the children he has left, told WAGA-TV: "She lost it."

Though devastated by the actions taken by his wife of 17 years, Ricky noted that his wife's battle with depression along with his faith are grounds for exercising some compassion. "I'm a Christian man and I have Christian values," he said. "My message is a message of compassion for everybody. There's nothing else that's going to help us get past this."

Former US Postal Service employee was removed from Georgia’s sex offender registry only to re-offend months later



Stacy Keith Wisener was removed from Georgia’s sex offender registry in 2017 by a Paulding County Superior Court judge. A few months later, Wisener began sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl. The abuse continued for approximately four years, the Justice Department reported.

The now 60-year-old former U.S. Postal Service employee was sentenced to three decades in prison for abusing the young girl, producing child pornography, and stealing mail.

“Wisener’s decision to continue to exploit children, even after working to get off the sex offender registry, now puts him in prison for decades,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

Wisener was placed on Georgia’s sex offender registry in 2003 after he pleaded guilty to molesting a child under the age of 16. For that crime, Wisener dodged jail time and was instead sentenced to probation.

Wisener remained on the registry for 14 years. He petitioned the court in 2017, asking to be removed from the list, and his request was granted. A few months later, Wisener began abusing his next underage victim.

To be removed from a sex offender registry, Georgia law requires that the Sex Offender Registration and Review Board consider the individual low-risk. During the hearing for removal, the judge must also agree that the offender is not likely to commit another sex crime.

In October 2021, the latest victim came forward and accused Wisener of molesting her since she was 11 years old. She told her parents and law enforcement that he would often take photographs and record videos of the abuse.

Authorities searched Wisener’s home and seized multiple data storage devices that were found to contain child pornography, including photographs and videos of Wisener abusing the victim.

During the search, law enforcement also discovered thousands of pieces of unopened mail and packages not belonging to Wisener. The Georgia man had stolen the mail from his place of employment at the Postal Service processing and distribution facility.

The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to federal child exploitation and stolen mail possession charges. Wisener was sentenced to 30 years in prison, ordered to pay $175,000 in restitution, $5,200 for special assessment, required to re-register as a sex offender, and required to forfeit his home residence.