BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — A person has been arrested after police said they started a fire at a Brookhaven Target.
Investigators with the Brookhaven Police Department said they heard the live 911 call with its new service Thursday about someone setting fire to a dressing room.
Officers arrived at the Target by 2400 N Druid Hills Rd. at 1:22 p.m., three minutes after they received the call, according to the department.
"The suspect was taken into custody without incident," police said.
The 29-year-old was booked into the DeKalb County jail. He is accused of arson, a first-degree felony. He's also facing two misdemeanors: obstruction and possession of drug-related objects.
The incident disrupted shoppers at the Brookhaven Target, but shoppers like Hayley Cress had to shop somewhere else.
“I’m just disappointed I can’t go to Target," Cress said. “It’s very selfish and inconveniences everyone because now I have to sit in more traffic to probably go down the street to Publix.”
Cress is one of many shoppers inconvenienced by a fire set on purpose. This marks the third time in recent months that seemingly intentional fires have been set in metro Atlanta Targets.
Fire crews were called in March to a fire at a Target along Peachtree Road in northeast Atlanta; another arson was reported at a Buckhead Target in January.
The Peachtree City Wal-Mart was also closed for four months after a similar fire last August. Peachtree City Fire Assistant Chief Wil Harbin said it can be difficult to know the motivation behind these fires.
“People use them as a diversion for theft, just to record the video, and just to cause some mayhem," Harbin said.
Harbin said don't stand around and get video if you notice a fire inside a store.
“It's not the heat that's really going to get you in these big box stores," Harbin said. "It's going to be the smoke, so if you see some smoke, you see some flames. You need to exit the building as soon as you can, very promptly.”
Another tip is if you see someone suspicious, say something.
“Tell an associate at one of the retailers that you're at. Perhaps they can keep an eye on them and prevent another one of these from happening," Harbin said.
Harbin added store employees should know how to use fire extinguishers but also know when the fire is out of their control.
“The employees need to get out as well, but in the beginning, depending on the material, the material being burned, a fire extinguisher can often put it in check," Harbin said.
The store reopened its doors around 6 p.m. Fortunately, the damage is not too extensive.