View from the cop: Crime & punishment
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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2009 > January > 30
Friday, January 30, 2009
Crime & punishment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Items from the Sandy Springs police blotter:
Robbery
An employee of the Shell Station in the 7800 block of Holcomb Bridge Road reported that just before 10 p.m. a man entered the store and pulled a gun. He ordered the employee to put money in a green back pack he placed on the counter. The suspect fled on foot west on Holcomb Bridge. The report noted that during the robbery, a man walked in the door, saw what was happening, and said “Hell no” and then left the store. He was not there when the police arrived—which brings up a good point. If you believe in Murphy’s Law and the fact this is a small world, which you should, here is a good piece of advice about convenient stores. At night, especially late, make it a habit that before you go in the doors, find out where the clerk is. Many times during a robbery, they’ll put the clerk in the back room or the cooler. The last thing you want to do is walk in on a robbery in progress like the guy did here. Just take a couple of seconds and do a quick look-see.
Burglary
Someone forced a basement door open a home in the 1400 block of North Riverside Circle and took several documents from the home of the resident. The victim said a possible suspect was someone who is in civil court over issues regarding the home.
An employee said that just before 5 a.m. he was in the back of a restaurant, located in the 8600 block of Roswell Road, when he heard a crash in the front. He observed two men in Halloween masks come into the store through a broken window. He yelled and they left. One left in a Black Dodge Magnum and the other left in an older gray Honda.
Police were arrived at a residence in the 700 block of Hammond Drive after receiving a call from a neighbor who she heard noises coming from the condo adjacent to hers. She knew the owners were out of town. She said she heard one male voice say “shut up” to what she believes to be another male. Officers found the front door forced open but no one was found inside.
Theft
A woman reported someone took several items from her purse she was while dancing with a man at Taboo II. She suspects the man she danced with.
An employee of a hair salon in the 6600 block of Roswell Road said a woman had her hair done. She left a credit card and some keys on the register table and told the employee she was going outside to get something from her car that was occupied by another person. They left. The card was declined and later found to be stolen from a hair salon in Decatur, GA. The keys were probably stolen too.
An employee of a lens store in the 5300 block of Roswell Road said a man came in and presented a pair of glasses to her requesting they fix it. She took the glasses to a nearby room to look at. She looked at the closed circuit television picture of the lobby and saw the same man take a pair of Gucci glasses frames and put them in his pocket. She walked back out and asked the man if he intended to pay for the frames. He retreated to his car and left south on Roswell Road.
Fraud, Forgery, and I.D. Theft
A representative of a car dealership on Roswell Road called and said they sold a 2006 Mustang to a man who presented a company check from a company that, once they later checked, didn’t exist. The check was a phony and the car, valued at over $19,000 is still out there. The employee said they’ve attempted to find the suspect without success prior to reporting the fraud. The officer checked the name of the suspect and found a match in DeKalb County where the suspect is wanted on a warrant.
A man on Sandalwood Drive reported that someone used his identity to purchase property on Lexington Ave in Brooklyn NY. He found it on his credit report.
Someone used the victim’s personal info to open five cell phone accounts.
A twenty-dollar counterfeit bill was found at the QT in the 7800 block of Roswell Road. The suspect presented the bill but the employee quickly recognized it as fake and told the man so. The man said “Just throw it away then” and left.
Assault
Cops were called to the LA Fitness Club at 1155 Mt. Vernon Hwy regarding two men who had gotten into a fight. Officers determined that the fight stemmed from a basketball game. The victim complained to the suspect that he was kicking him in his bad knee during the game. After a couple of complaints, the suspect punched the victim in the eye—and then fled the location. The victim had lacerations to the area of his eye.
Arrests
Just after 5 p.m. two 17-year olds carjacked a man in his new Ford Expedition in a corporate parking deck in the 1100 Abernathy Road. A few seconds after the call went out, a Sandy Springs Police unit who was nearby, saw the SUV at about the same time the suspects saw the cop. The suspects, in an attempt to elude the police, drove from Abernathy to PDR, to Mt. Vernon, to Ashford Dunwoody, to Perimeter Center which, if you check the map, is a big circle. The other thing not going well for the two carjackers was that it was shift change so within about a minute, approximately 25 police cars were near the area. The suspects wrecked the victim’s car in the parking lot of a bank on Perimeter Center West and the two suspects were arrested. One suspect later commented that he had never seen so many police cars at one time.
