A Taser-wielding security guard, well-known for an earlier encounter in which he used his weapon on an unruly mall customer, was fired after tackling another customer inside Atlanta's Metro Mall.
MyFoxAtlanta.com reports that Darien Long told police the victim had been instructed not to return to the mall. Long was arrested by Atlanta police, who said Long was unable to elaborate on his story or produce any paperwork that backed up the claim.
In a video that captures the attack, Long rushes up alongside the unsuspecting customer and forces him to the ground. Long was charged with battery.
Long's arrest comes after he was told he would be losing his job. The job loss came before the arrest and was, according to Long, done for financial reasons. "They lost three vendors. They can no longer afford to pay me. So that's why they're letting me go," Long told MyFoxAtlanta.com earlier this week.
Several months ago, Long became a bit of a Web celebrity after a 2012 video surfaced featuring the guard using a Taser on a woman. After the video went viral, a fundraising campaign raised $20,000 to give Long better equipment. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that some have praised his aggressive security work, while others have questioned whether he was responsible for causing more problems than he solved.
As of Friday morning, he was being held in Fulton County jail on a $2,000 bond.