Pair of 8-year-olds linked to SW Atlanta burglaries

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta police say two 8-year-old boys were among a number of juveniles implicated recently in a spate of burglaries in southwest Atlanta.

"We are seeing an increase in burglaries in the Princeton Lake & Deerwood communities," APD Zone 4 Commander Maj. Rodney Bryant wrote Monday in a email alert sent to affected residents.

One of the incidents occurred last weekend when police interrupted an attempted car theft on Harwell Road in Zone 4. An 8-year-old suspect was detained along with a 14-year-old, but no charges were filed against the younger child, Bryant said.

An 8-year-old also was suspected in a home break-in on Abbey Avenue near Washington and Ben Hill roads. He, too, was accompanied by an older youth, Bryant said. In both cases, the alleged junior bandits were returned to their parents.

Bryant said Zone 4 officers have made a number of burglary-related arrests in recent weeks, with juvenile offenders accounting for more than half of those charged. So far this year, 111 burglaries have been reported in the precinct that includes Ben Hill, Greenbriar and Fort McPherson.