Chef charged after shooting 2 suspected teen porch pirates outside his home
Rakim Bradford was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm for the shooting on Dec. 11, 2025. Fox 5 Atlanta/YouTube
ATLANTA — An Atlanta chef allegedly shot two teenage boys he suspected of trying to steal packages from his home in broad daylight.
Rakim Bradford, who works as head chef at a local IHOP, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The incident occurred Thursday around 3:40 p.m. at his townhouse in the Mays neighborhood, southwest of Downtown Atlanta. The teens were 15 and 16 years old.
According to Atlanta police, Bradford noticed the boys near his front porch. Officials say the teens had reportedly followed a delivery van to the Villages of Cascade complex before attempting to take packages from Bradford’s home. The arrest warrant states, “After the packages were dropped, they agreed to steal that package from the front of the residence.”
Bradford allegedly fired on the teens before they could take the delivery.
“We believe a property crime was occurring, that some packages were being taken off a front porch, which is common this time of year,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. “The homeowner did discharge his weapon to stop that theft of packages.”
The 15-year-old suffered a gunshot wound to the right foot. The 16-year-old was shot in the right arm and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. He underwent surgery and is expected to survive.
Schierbaum emphasized the seriousness of gun violence in the city. “Anytime a child is injured in our city, we take that very seriously,” he said.
Bradford was taken into custody for questioning. Police ruled out a home invasion and did not file any charges against the teens.
Neighbors weighed in on the incident, offering a mix of warnings and reflection. “Don’t go and steal people’s packages,” said Andrew Julian. “On the other side of that, what right do you have to defend your own home, and then what decision do you make to defend your own home based on somebody taking an item off of your porch? So, it’s certainly a conversation to be had.”
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