ATLANTA — The man who shot and injured three people inside a food court in Atlanta on Tuesday had been convicted of crimes across the state, a Channel 2 Action News review of public records show.
Jeremy Malone, 34, spent time in prison from 2008 to 2014, February 2017 through September 2017, and September 2019 through January 2020, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
In all, Malone has been arrested 11 times, according to law enforcement officials.
Malone’s criminal history began in Henry County, where in 2007, deputies arrested and charged him with armed robbery.
Investigators say Malone used a toy semi-automatic handgun and a taser to rob a Subway restaurant for $253. As part of a negotiated plea with prosecutors.
Malone agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of robbery by intimidation, according to court records.
The judge sentenced him to serve 15 years to serve 10 in prison, with the remaining balance on probation.
According to DeKalb County Jail records, DeKalb County police arrested and charged Malone with numerous drug and weapons charges in 2017.
In 2018, Atlanta police arrested Malone after he ran from a traffic stop. Investigators say he was in possession of marijuana and a gun.
When investigators questioned him about the gun, he told them that he had picked the gun up off the street, according to court documents.
Nearly five years after his arrest, Malone decided to enter a guilty plea in front of DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gregory Adams.
Before Adams made his decision, he heard from Malone’s attorney, Meredith McCarrey.
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“Mr. Malone has done probably about 250, 260 days in jail so far,” she said. “Initially, he served 92 days from October 30, 2018, until January 29, 2019, and then he went to the Department of Corrections on a probation violation. His understanding is his probation violation was based on picking up this DeKalb County charge. He was in DOC from September 24, 2019, until January 31, 2020. Prior to that, he was in custody in Henry County for about five months and a week, from April 18, 2019, until September 24, 2019. And then he has been inconsistent confinement on a bench warrant. He inadvertently missed court, Judge. I believe he did send some documentation trying to come to court to resolve this case and so he’s done an extra 13 days here.”
Malone’s attorney also told the judge that he at the time of his arrest, was working at a moving company and trying to go to Albany State University or Clark Atlanta University to study physical therapy, court records confirmed.
Malone’s attorney asked the judge to sentence her client to one year in prison with credit for time served.
Adams agreed to give him credit for time served, but before he released him from jail, he offered the following advice to Malone.
“Mr. Malone, as I indicated, I know sometimes people do make mistakes,” Adam said. “Now I think you may have told the police that you found that gun. I don’t know if I -- I have to listen to what everybody says, I don’t have to believe that. It’s amazing how many -- you know, I’ve never found a gun lying around on the ground. It’s amazing how many people come in my court when they find guns just lying around in the bushes.”
“I’m going to give you the same advice my mother and father used to give me when I was growing up,” Adams added. “Actually, I was one of those young people that actually listened. If there is a loaded gun lying around on the ground, leave it there. Do not pick it up, do not take possession of it, do not run from the police and fall on the ground and make a noise when the gun falls out of your pocket. So if you don’t pick up the gun, you don’t have to worry about having a loaded gun. So you can listen to that advice my parents used to give us. My mother and father gave us general information about picking and choosing your friends wisely and you won’t end up in the court system, and actually, we followed that advice.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to Adams for comment, but an assistant said he was in the middle of court.
A spokeswoman for the Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office responded to Channel 2 Action News’ request for comment in an email Wednesday afternoon.
“On March 16, 2023, Malone pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in DeKalb County Superior Court stemming from an incident in October 2018,” wrote District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Claire Chaffins. “Our office did not agree to a plea deal with Mr. Malone in this case; he decided on his own to enter a guilty plea. During the hearing, our office recommended Mr. Malone serve one year in custody, however, he was instead sentenced to time served. "
But it wouldn’t be long before Malone would find himself back behind bars.
In December 2023, a grand jury in Fulton County indicted him on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
The charges stemmed from a 2021 incident that accused Malone of threatening a woman with a knife, according to an affidavit.
Jail records show Malone was out on bond for this case when he was arrested and charged with shooting and injuring three people inside the Peachtree Center on Tuesday afternoon.
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