Man with gun sues MARTA after being detained.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A man detained after entering a MARTA station wearing a holstered firearm sued the transit agency Thursday, accusing it of illegal search and seizure.
The federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of C. R. and the gun-rights group, GeorgiaCarry.org <http://georgiacarry.org/>.
C. R. was detained by MARTA police as he entered the Avondale station Oct. 14 with his firearm, the lawsuit said. The handgun was inside R.'s T-shirt and must have been exposed when he dropped his MARTA fare card and bent down to pick it up, said his lawyer.
MARTA officers surrounded R., seized the weapon and demanded to know why he was carrying a gun, the suit said.
R. showed the officers his Georgia firearms license and driver?s license and, at their request, gave them his Social Security number. He was escorted to another building, held about 30 minutes and released with his gun.
The officers had no probable cause or reasonable suspicion R. was committing, or about to commit a crime, the suit said. It noted the Georgia Legislature last year passed House Bill 89, which decriminalized the carrying of firearms on public transit.
MARTA does not comment on pending litigation, spokeswoman Cara Hodgson said.
Last summer, MARTA notified its customers about the new law. It also said the law requires anyone carrying a firearm on public transit to have a valid firearms license. MARTA police will strictly enforce all provisions of the law, the transit agency said.
