Former Atlanta Falcon arrested after police say he took suitcase from Hartsfield-Jackson

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ATLANTA — A former NFL player with the Atlanta Falcons is now facing charges after police say he took a suitcase that wasn’t his and stole a charger.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne obtained body camera footage he revealed during Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 that shows Damien Parms being arrested inside Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Police told Winne that Parms took a suitcase off of a Delta baggage carousel and into a restroom before going through it. They say he took a charging cord from the bag and took it back to another baggage carousel.

“I put it on one of the conveyor belts. It was a green bag. It looked just like my bag,” Parms can be heard telling police.

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Parms did not have a ticket to fly or boarding pass indicating he would have had a suitcase on the carousel.

“Mr. Parms stated that he needed a bag. That’s what he told our investigator,” APD Airport Precinct Commander Major Kelley Collier said.

Major Collier says that luggage theft is rare at the airport.

“We have a lot of officers patrolling,” he explained, “so any issue that may arise we are able to address it immediately.”

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Winne spoke with Parms over the phone who said he was at the airport to buy food.

Parms told Winne he has a job making $25 an hour and a loft apartment, and has plenty of money from his time in the NFL.

Between 2015 and 2019, Parms was part of the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons a second time and the Carolina Panthers. He never played in the regular season, however. He did make several appearances in the pre-season.

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David Irons Sr. told Winne that he trained Parms and if the allegations are true, he must have been desperate because he would not normally commit a crime.

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