Burglary suspect faces charges after police shooting near Perimeter Mall
A man was taken into custody near Dunwoody’s Perimeter Mall after an early-morning chase and confrontation, during which police said they fired at a group of burglary suspects who jumped into a security car and drove toward officers.
Fredrick Hammonds, 35, was taken into custody before 9 a.m. Thursday and transported to a hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound, police said. The GBI is investigating the officer-involved shooting, and the search for two other suspects continued.
Hammonds was booked in the DeKalb County jail and faces several charges: two counts of burglary in the second degree, felony theft, aggravated assault on a public safety officer, and possession of a tool in the commission of a crime, jail records show.
Around 3 a.m. Thursday morning, Dunwoody police responded to the closed mall for a report of a burglary in progress, police spokesperson Sgt. Michael Cheek told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Three men broke into the mall by smashing the glass with a sledgehammer, Cheek said. They then broke into the boutique store Request with the sledgehammer and “took a large amount of luxury bags from the store,” he said.
When officers arrived at the parking lot, they encountered the men, who fled the scene by stealing a mall security vehicle, officials said. Officers began a brief pursuit.
The vehicle crossed Ashford-Dunwoody Road and stopped at 66 Perimeter Center East, where police confronted the suspects. The group then “intentionally drove their vehicle toward our officers,” Cheek said. Police shot at the car, and the group drove away and crashed nearby on Ashford-Dunwoody Road. The suspects left the car and ran away.
The mall security car had bullet holes that shattered the driver’s side window.
K-9 units responded to the scene, and a DeKalb County police helicopter aided in the search, Cheek said. After several hours of looking, Dunwoody officers located Hammonds hiding nearby.
He suffered a gunshot wound to his lower abdominal region and was treated by medical personnel on site before being taken to North Fulton Hospital, Cheek said. Hammonds was alert after the shooting and considered stable.
The three Dunwoody officers involved in the shooting were not injured, police said. They were placed on paid administrative leave.
People were initially advised to avoid the area. There were no impacts to traffic on Ashford-Dunwoody Road or to those arriving to the Perimeter Mall area for work.
Dunwoody police’s burglary investigation is still ongoing.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the mall’s owner, Brookfield Properties, called the incident “unfortunate and targeted” and said the company is “incredibly grateful for the swift response from Dunwoody Police Department and our security team.”
The mall opened and operated as usual Thursday, the company confirmed.
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