Marcus Manuel

Name:
Manuel, Marcus Lamar

Date of Booking:
11/02/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
OBSTRUCTION OF A POLICE OFFICER

DIS. CONDUCT: PUBLIC DRUNK

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On November 2, 2025, at approximately 4:00 p.m., I was dispatched to 699 Alabama Street (Carrollton Food Mart) in response to a report about a black male wearing a dark hoodie, khaki pants, and brown shoes. He was at the store making verbal threats and lewd sexual remarks towards the clerk, as well as attempting to fight other patrons, and had been at the store for hours drinking alcohol.

It should be noted that I traveled up and down Alabama Street numerous times today to maintain a strong presence in the area following a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours. I recalled seeing a male matching the description standing outside the Carrollton Food Mart for most of the day, near the dumpster close to North Burson Avenue.

As I parked and began walking into the store, I observed a male walking out, who appeared very upset in his facial demeanor. Once I entered the store, a patron pointed out a male who matched the description. I observed him swaying back and forth, struggling to keep his balance. I walked up and asked if he was alright, and gently placed my hand on his shoulder. He then locked eyes with me and said, “Don’t you ever touch me.”

I could smell the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath, along with his eyes being bloodshot and glassy. His clothes were also soiled with urin. He looked at me with an aggressive manner. I informed him to place his hands behind his back. I grabbed his hands with my left hand and went to retrieve the man’s handcuffs with my right.

The male had pulled his left arm up, chicken winging his elbow straight up in fear that he was attempting to elbow me in the face or try and grab a weapon. At this time, he was already trying to fight other citizens and was now offering violence to me. I took his right arm and overhooked his right shoulder, while underhooking my left arm under his left shoulder, interlocking my arms to conduct a takedown.

These are the following reasons I chose to take him to the ground quickly for the following reasons:

1. The subject was intoxicated, and when under the influence, and from my training and experience make people not make rational decisions and be violent.
2. He had already tried fighting multiple people in the store.
3. We had a high call volume, and most of my shift was tied up.
4. It was pouring down rain, and I knew that it would take longer for my backup to arrive safely.
5. I wanted to prevent a fight or flight response from the scene, risking injury to others.
6. “Using force effectively is safer” reflects a core principle taught in law enforcement, including at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC). The underlying idea is that employing the objectively reasonable and necessary amount of force to gain control of a situation efficiently minimizes injuries to the subject, the officer(s), and bystanders, compared to using too little force (which can lead to a prolonged struggle) or excessive force.

Once on the ground, I got in full mount on his back and gained control, placing him into handcuffs and radioing for another unit. I then picked him up off the ground and walked him inside because a small child had walked into the store. I waited with him for another unit to put him into the car, as I am a canine officer and did not have a transport cage. While standing there, he began getting ridged and flexed up and began pushing towards me. I held him against the wall until another officer got to me. I began walking him to the car, and he went dead weight, and we had to carry him to the car and place him in the car.

He was identified as Marcus Manuel and transported to the Carroll County Jail, and charged with the following:
Disorderly conducted in public drunkenness
Obstruction of a police officer.

I went back inside and spoke with the complainant, [WITNESS #1]. She advised that he was trying to fight the male who had walked out right before I arrived. She also said he had been around most of the day, drinking and harassing customers and saying he would kill everyone in the store.

[End of Narrative]