The Adamsville community in Atlanta is calling for police to release an IHOP chef who is charged with shooting 2 teenagers for stealing a package off his porch.

Rakim Bradford, 34, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm.

Police in Adamsville on Atlanta’s west side say Bradford shot the two teens trying to steal a package off his porch on December 11.

Officers responded to shots fired calls around 3:40 p.m. at a home on Celeste Lane.

Police found a 15-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound to his right foot. A 16-year-old male was found nearby with a gunshot wound to his right arm.

The porch pirates were transported to Grady Hospital and are listed in stable condition.

One of the teens told officers they saw a white van drop off the package at a home.

“Before they were able to take it, (the teen) stated that someone started shooting through the door and they fled on foot,” the warrant states.

Bradford is a well-liked chef for a local IHOP Restaurant. He remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail.

Nubian Barnes, a neighbor of Bradford’s, told FOX 5, “It’s a sad situation.”

Other neighbors sympathized with Bradford. Many in the community are outraged that Bradford was arrested for protecting his property.

He clearly wasn’t trying to kill the youths – just teach them a lesson.

“Why is he being charged? They came on his property and were stealing from him!!!” one resident wrote on YouTube.

Another person wrote: “Good luck seating a jury that will convict. We’re all sick of these thieves.”

A third person wrote, “RELEASE THIS MAN NOW. He did nothing wrong.”

A GoFundMe has been created to raise money for Bradford’s bail.