Atlanta police make arrest in connection with homeowner who cops say shot 2 teenage porch pirates

Atlanta police made an arrest late last week in connection with a homeowner who cops said shot two teenage porch pirates.

Police said Rakim Bradford, 34, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Fulton County Jail records indicate Bradford was booked into jail Friday and released Sunday.

Police said officers responded around 3:40 p.m. Thursday to the scene on Celeste Lane SW and found a 16-year-old male who apparently was shot in his right arm, and a 15-year-old male who apparently was shot in his right foot.

The 16-year-old male was taken to a hospital in critical condition, underwent surgery, and is expected to survive his injury, police said, adding that the 15-year-old was alert, conscious, and breathing, and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

RELATED: Atlanta homeowner shoots 2 juveniles who were taking packages from his porch, police say

Bradford's arrest warrant indicates the teens saw a delivery van in the townhome complex and then "agreed to steal that package from the front of the residence,” Atlanta News First reported.

However, before the teens were able to make off with the package, Bradford opened the door and shot at them, Atlanta News First added, citing the warrant.

"Don't go and steal people's packages," neighbor Andrew Julian told Atlanta News First. "On the other side of that, what right do you have to defend your own home, and then what decision do you make to defend your own home based on somebody taking an item off of your porch? So, it's certainly a conversation to be had."

Nubian Barnes, a neighbor of Bradford's in the Villages of Cascade Townhome community, told WSB-TV she could understand his frustrations: "I can. But to shoot them. I don’t know. I just don’t feel he should have shot him."

Barnes added to the station that shooting the teens could have resulted in fatalities: "And then he would have been facing murder charges. All because of a package that probably didn’t cost that much. Definitely didn’t cost a human life."

Reginald Boudreaux added to WSB that the shooting was "crazy to me. Like, you call the police. That’s what police are for."

Quin King noted to WSB that the shooting was "just so much over packages. Packages can be replaced," she said.

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