Buckhead ‘browsing' bandit allegedly stole clothes, luxury car

By Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An alleged grab-and-go bandit who apparently likes high-end men’s couture in Buckhead and pricey European cars in Chamblee was caught driving a stolen Audi S-5, police said.

Saturday afternoon, a man entered MODA404 Men’s Boutique in Buckhead and browsed the store as if he were picking out purchases, store co-owner Lee Brockwell told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an email.

“The thief was in the store for an hour trying on merchandise,” Brockwell said. “As I was ringing up the purchase, the thief asked to add on one more pair of shoes.”

That’s when the man, identified by police as Tavoris Ashmon, made his move.

“When [the clerk] walked away from the register, the male grabbed the two bags of clothing and ran out of the store,” Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said.

The entire transaction – from the suspect allegedly setting his selections on the sales counter to him dashing out the door with more than $4,000 in merchandise – was caught on the store’s video cameras.

"The man obviously had this crime planned out,” Brockwell said. "He was very arrogant and just bold with it; he picked the stuff up and walked right out of here like he owned it."

But the 25-year-old alleged suspect's plan apparently went awry because of his ride.

Last week, Ashmon took his browsing to a Chamblee Audi dealership, DeKalb County police told Channel 2 Action News. The man posed as a test driver and nearly hit employees working on the lot as he drove off in one of their cars, authorities said.

But Saturday night, the suspect allegedly made the mistake of blowing past a DeKalb police sergeant's squad car.

Sgt. Dan Oak stopped the Audi and took Ashmon into custody.  Oak determined the man's car had been reported stolen.

Sunday night, Oak said, he recognized Ashmon in the video from MODA404 broadcast on Channel 2’s evening news program.

“'That’s him,’ I told my wife,” Oak told Channel 2. “’That’s the guy I arrested last night.’”

He said he contacted Atlanta police.

The stolen Audi also matched the description of the getaway car from the theft in Buckhead, Oak determined.

Jones confirmed that Atlanta police served Ashmon shoplifting arrest warrants at DeKalb County Jail, where he was being held on two counts of theft by receiving, simple assault, speeding and driving under the influence of drugs, according to jail records.