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Downtown mall security manager charged with battery

ATLANTA — Atlanta police arrested a downtown mall manager known for shocking people with a Taser gun and charged him with battery.

Darien Long has worked at the Metro Mall in downtown Atlanta for more than a year and had several confrontations with people he asked to leave the property.

Police responded to the mall on Thursday, after Long and a person he said was trespassing got into a fight.

"But I won. He didn't get away. I won. He went to jail. End of story," Long said to Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri after the fight.

Police detained the man fighting with Long but did not arrest him. Several hours later, they put Long in handcuffs and charged him with battery.

Police told Viteri video from inside the mall showed Long was the aggressor, running and tackling the man.

"I was in the booth across the way. He didn't see me. I grabbed him. We got into a tussle," Long told Viteri, saying he confronted the man because he was banned from the mall.

Erica Webster witnessed the fight.

"The security guard had a big gash on his face, marks on his face he really got scrubbed up," she also said Long tried but was unable to pull out his Taser. "That's why he was trying to tase him, because he was getting, the boy was getting the best of the security guard."

Long became known for posting videos that showed him using his Taser against people who refused to leave mall property. He would record the incidents with cameras on his vest and head. 

Webster said Long's actions were a safety risk for others and himself.

"If you have a situation you can't handle you need to call the police," she said.

Police transported Long to the Fulton County Jail. His last day at the Metro Mall was scheduled to be March 31 due to budget cuts, according to management.