Posted on 12/13/2025 12:15:27 AM PST by Morgana
An IHOP cook has been charged after allegedly shooting two teenage porch pirates outside his home as they ran away with packages.
Rakim Bradford, 34, opened fire after he came to the door to collect a delivery outside his townhouse in Atlanta and saw three youths he believed were trying steal it.
He called a co-worker after the shooting and told them he was cleaning his gun when he got a notification that the delivery had arrived, according to the arrest warrant.
The colleague told police that Bradford said he went to get the package holding his gun, and it 'went off'. He believed he hit one of the teens in the back as they ran.
Bradford fled his house after the shooting and wasn't there when police arrived about 3.30pm on Wednesday, but later turned himself in to a police station.
'We believe a property crime was occurring, that some packages were being taken off of a front porch,' Atlanta Police Chief Darren Sherbaum said.
'The homeowner did discharge his weapon to stop that theft of the packages.'
Whether Bradford, the head chef at a local IHOP who studied at the Culinary Institute of America, owned the two-storey townhouse or was renting it is unclear.
Bradford was on Friday charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Police found one shell casing at the scene when they searched the Villages of Cascades gated community in Atlanta's western suburbs.
How many shots were fired is unclear.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
A half dozen vehicles?
So what happened to them?
I would guess not much.
Chef should have known better, in this day and age. There have been hundreds of stories just like this one, and the results are the same.
Someone retreating is not a direct threat, unless they are pointing a gun at you as they retreat. There’s no mention of that here.
If you have to, shoot. Be sure, then shoot, but don’t lie about it..the whole cleaning the gun b.s. didn’t help him in the least.
So you have a problem with me questioning the fairness and effectiveness of the law?
Yea. He’s screwed
Even the Race Card isn’t going to work
He’s screwed...he did so much flat out wrong.
Fake story: “The gun went off” is dissembling...he ran...his tales better match ring camera vids from either his or his neighbors cams.
Atlanta is a failed African state.
Did anybody ever think that criminals would steal people’s property if the property was left in a place that is accessible to the public?
Surprised if it doesn’t get to 50% of all merchandise left out in the open. Would not be surprised if there are organized gangs with firearms already surveilling neighborhoods using drones(looking for delivery trucks) and fencing the merchandise online.
That makes good sense according to the written law.
But if I had my way, shooting thieves on sight would win you an award.
That’s pretty much my take on whacking someone, based on the concealed carry laws of my state.
At a minimum they have to be unwelcome guests inside the home and you must feel threatened.
I’ve watched movies where land owners meet the feds at the property entrance where the land owners are armed to the teeth. Even this is not a good idea.
Who cleans a loaded weapon, and when has an accidental discharge ever hit an appropriate target?
It certainly should resounds with other “youths” to think twice
They were not pirates; they were moving targets.
Some were junks and already torn down for parts, the others were recovered. They were from Trenton, N.J. about 40 miles away and had been stealing cars for a couple years and either selling parts or scrapping vehicles. An SUV could fetch 4 - 5 hundred bucks at a scrap yard. Sanctuary city of Trenton did nothing while they were in operation. I know they were arrested, but I wouldn’t doubt they were released soon after.
^^^ This right here.
A personal choice that is helpful is a box at the local UPS store. It costs about $15 a month. All packages go there, all important mail goes there. Friends and relatives are advised to use it as your mailing address. Only junk mail comes to the house.
No worries about an accidental discharge accidentally striking accidental porch thieves, and having to defend oneself in court as a result thereof...
Culinary school graduate working at IHOP?
It’s my understanding ( and this is not legal advice) that in Texas this would be a legal shoot if it was at night, but not during the day. It was explained to me the reasoning is that it is harder to identify a thief at night. As far as I know, Texas is the only state that allows defending property with lethal force even if you or another’s life is not in danger.
Also, even in Texas a lot might depend on which city or county you are in.
Only an idiot who knows nothing about firearms would claim such a thing, frankly.
See Texas Penal Code Section 9.42.
Never, ever, fire a warning shot.
Well, he may not have been justified shooting at the offenders, but he better have expected FULL police cooperation if he hadn’t. There has to be SOME way to stop this & other similar crimes.
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