Atlanta man pleads guilty to assaulting mail carrier

ATLANTA - An Atlanta man has been convicted of assaulting a federal mail carrier. 

Michael Terrell has pleaded guilty to forcibly assaulting a federal mail carrier while armed with a gun. 

“Terrell’s conduct is especially egregious as he showed no regard for the life of the mail carrier who was simply doing his job,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “This kind of senseless attack jeopardizes the safety of both postal employees and the general public.”

It happened on March 2, 2019, at a restaurant in Tucker. Authorities said the mail carrier had just delivered something to the cashier when Terrell grabbed the parcel and followed the mail carrier to his postal vehicle. 

Officials said the suspect attempted to block the mail carrier’s access to the vehicle, and forced his way inside the vehicle, and took the keys.

Terrell rummaged through the vehicle and looked for the missing contents of the package, later determined to have been a large amount of marijuana. He then pulled a gun on the mail carrier before running away. 

At the time, Terrell, 25, of Decatur, Georgia, was under indictment in Fulton County, Georgia, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a felony on December 7, 2018.