ATLANTA — A 13-year-old and 14-year-old are in the hospital and one man is in jail after a shooting outside an Atlanta Waffle House.
A customer tried to stop the teens from taking his car by opening fire, police said.
The gunfire erupted around 10:30 p.m. at the Waffle House on 2914 Memorial Drive in southeast Atlanta.
Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach spoke with a Waffle House worker who witnessed the shootout.
“Once he opened the door, the dude came out the door of the Waffle House, holding the door and started shooting,” said the worker, who asked Channel 2 not to give her name.
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The worker said the customer had left his car running, parked right in front of the windows as he went inside to pick up a to-go order.
A car full of three to four teens pulled up behind with one getting out and sneaking up to the driver’s door to get in, according to police.
She told Gehlbach she was standing outside near the customer’s car and got frozen in place with nowhere to go.
“I hope I don’t get hit by a bullet. I tried to run back in the store, but he was blocking the door. I couldn’t get past,” she said.”
She was in the middle of the bullets flying and said the teens fired back.
“I stood up against the glass window ‘til the customer stopped shooting. Once he stopped, I ran inside and that’s when the young boys started shooting back.”
Other bullets went into the customer’s car and other cars, including one that hit the trunk of a car parked at the gas station next door.
According to the police report, Atlanta officers were called to a gas station about three miles away and found both teens shot in their legs. Police have not confirmed if they found their car or others involved.
The young teens will both face charges for the attempted auto theft and breaking curfew.
The customer was identified as 32-year-old Bryant Mayner.
Mayner wasn’t shot and was arrested for aggravated assault for shooting recklessly at the suspects.
“Maybe he felt he should have stopped shooting once the teenagers tried to get away, but he was still kinda shooting.”
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