A former Atlanta police officer robbed Cobb County hotel guests while wearing his full police uniform and badge, authorities say.
Justin Thorne was arrested and charged with multiple felonies in connection with an armed robbery at a Comfort Inn and Suites off Windy Hill Road in Cobb County, Ga, Channel 2 Action News reports.
Thorne was captured on the hotel’s surveillance cameras in the hallway outside the room of 2 hotel guests visiting from Arkansas on Oct. 17.
Thorne was dressed in full police uniform, including a bulletproof vest, hat, a gun belt and a police badge, according to WSB-TV.
The 22-year-old officer forced the hotel guests to hand over $800 in cash and an iPhone worth $700.
Thorne joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2017 and worked as a patrol officer on the city’s southeast side until earlier this year when he resigned.
According to documents obtained by WSB-TV, in September Thorne was the subject of an investigation into allegations that he took payment from a suspect to make an outstanding warrant go away.
“When Thorne was asked by OPS to make a statement about the allegation, he chose to abruptly resign on October 1,” according to the APD’s Office of Professional Standards.
Cobb County Police are trying to determine if there are other victims.
