THE INCIDENT:
On January 30 at 9:55am, the VirtuGuard™ Command Center received a text message from the onsite BOS Security Officer, alerting them of an issue inside of the Planet Fitness. The security officer indicated that there was an incident in progress within the gym with a dark-complexioned male raising his voice and making threats. A member inside the gym reported that the man commented, “I don’t want to shoot you, but I will.” He then left the building but told other patrons that he was going to get his gun.
THE RESOLUTION:
After being contacted by the physical security officer, the VirtuGuard™ Agent assigned to the incident pulled up the live video footage, finding the man entering his vehicle which was parked in the fire lane in front of the Planet Fitness. The suspect began opening the doors and trunk of the vehicle, throwing papers and other items onto the ground nearby while appearing visibly upset. Continuing to observe the situation, the physical security officer asked the Agent to dispatch local police to the shopping center and to also relay a voice down audio command. The voice down announcement was initiated and the Atlanta police were called at 9:56am. At 10:03am, only eight minutes after the physical security guard was first notified of the event, the Atlanta police arrived at the gym. Upon their arrival, the police officers approached the suspect and proceeded to handcuff him before placing him in the back of the patrol vehicle. The officers then cleaned up the items the man had thrown from his car into the parking lot. At 10:40am, a tow truck arrived at the scene and removed the vehicle from the property. After the vehicle was removed the officers left the site at 10:44am with the suspect detained in their vehicle.
DUAL SECURITY SOLUTION
It only took eight minutes from the time the incident was noticed by the physical security guard to the time the police detained the suspect, and only 49 minutes for the incident to be resolved entirely. Combining physical security services with VirtuGuard™ remote video monitoring allows for dangerous situations to be handled more effectively and efficiently. The virtual guard was able to observe the suspect through surveillance cameras, allowing the onsite officer to keep a safe distance. The virtual guard was also able to communicate to police the details of the event happening in real time, so they could be better informed and equipped to handle the incident in an appropriate manner. What could have quickly escalated into a dangerous or fatal situation was quickly subdued through the combined efforts of the physical security guard, the VirtuGuard™ Agent, and local law enforcement.
