Afraid Of Coronavirus, GA Man Points Gun At Women Wearing Masks

ALPHARETTA, GA — Alpharetta Police arrested a man Sunday for pointing a gun at a woman and her granddaughter for "fear of catching the coronavirus."

Alpharetta Police Sgt. Howard Miller said officers received a call about a person pulling a gun on others at the post office, 4575 Webb Bridge Rd. Officers responded and found both victims, a woman and her adult granddaughter, unharmed. The suspect had left prior to officers arriving.

The women said they were both wearing medical masks and gloves when they entered the post office. They were met by a man who pulled out a handgun, pointed it at both of them, and yelled at them to get back, Miller said. The man then left the building and drove away in his vehicle.

One of the victims was able to get the license plate number of the man’s car. Officers went to his house, confronted him in his driveway where he surrendered before taken into custody. He was armed with a holstered firearm at the time of his arrest, police said.

Miller said he cannot go into specific details involving the interview with the suspect, but did say the man admitted to officers that he pointed his gun at the victims "in fear of catching the coronavirus."

"Folks, this was such an overreaction on the part of the suspect," Miller said. "Please do not allow fear to overcome your logic while we’re going through this. This could have certainly ended with tragic results for everyone involved."

The man was charged with pointing a pistol at another. This case is pending prosecution and no further details will be released, Miller said.

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See more: GA Coronavirus: 700 Cases, 25 Deaths; 'Point Of No Return'

As of Monday, there have been 772 positive coronavirus cases and 25 deaths in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

The number of confirmed and presumed positive cases of COVID-19 rose from 420 positive cases and 13 deaths on Friday to 600 cases and 23 deaths across 58 counties on Sunday morning.

Fulton County has the most cases in the state with 145, followed by Cobb County with 79, DeKalb with 75, Dougherty with 64, Bartow with 61, Gwinnett with 34, Carroll with 21, Cherokee with 20, Clayton with 18, Lee with 16, Clarke with 14, Richmond with 11, and Fayette, Floyd and Hall with 10 each.