Three charged after arrests that shut down Ga. 400

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The two men and a woman whose arrests led to a brief shutdown of Ga. 400 Wednesday evening have been charged in connection with an alleged snatch and grab of clothes from a North Point Mall department store.

Elliott Alexander, 37, of Philadelphia; Jeffery Green, 46, of Stockbridge; and Celest Duarte, 42, of Atlanta, were charged with two counts each of theft by shoplifting after police caught them near the mall on Ga. 400, said Officer George Gordon of the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety.

The dramatic arrest, with officers drawing guns amidst the evening commute, led to a brief closure of all southbound lanes of the highway just before 6 p.m.

Officers, responding to a call for help from a mall security officer, quickly caught the Ford Explorer and its three occupants. A search of the vehicle turned up stolen clothing from Dillard's and J.C. Penny, Gordon said. Officers also found a loaded handgun, crack cocaine and a wig, he said.

Alexander also was charged with felony possession of a firearm in the commission of a crime, possession of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Gordon said. He said the gun was not used during the thefts but noted that possession by a convicted felon is illegal.

Alexander and the other two were being held Thursday at the Fulton County Jail.

Alpharetta's public safety director, Gary George, said the arrests resulted from a "great relationship" between the mall loss prevention staff and his officers.

"Our officers reacted swiftly to identify and locate the suspects," he said. "The end result is we have three suspects in custody who will no longer prey upon our business community.”