Atlanta’s police leaders are citing the department’s summer plan as one of the reasons officers were able to respond so quickly to Sunday night’s shooting at Lenox Square.
Assistant Police Chief Todd Coyt told the city council’s public safety committee on Monday that the department’s summer plan is “making the needle move” in their efforts to address violent crime. He also credited the plan for the department’s ability to quickly arrest two suspects in connection to the shooting that injured a mall security guard.
Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond said he’s getting a lot of calls from people concerned about the mall shooting, and if the two 15-year-olds will be charged as adults.
“People have appreciated the quick and rapid response on the apprehension of the perpetrators,” Bond said.
Investigators believe a boy and a girl tried to get into the Apple store at Lenox Square after hours when they approached a mall security guard, Atlanta police said Monday.
One of the teens shot the guard, leaving him critically injured, according to police. Authorities said the teens were arrested within 10 minutes at a nearby hotel before they were detained at a youth detention center.
The unidentified suspects were charged with criminal attempt to commit murder, police said. The teens also face charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence and weapons offenses.
Coyt said the teenagers were charged with a felony and “some of their charges are charges that could graduate them to adult court.” It will be up to the judge to determine if they will be charged as adults.
Bond said he doesn’t want to see young people getting “funneled into the criminal justice system.” But he said there needs to be “something more substantial” done to handle cases involving young people to ensure they don’t become repeat offenders.
“There’s obviously a need for intervention for the young people who are finding themselves attracted and then subsequently caught up in gang activity,” Bond said.
Coyt said “violent crime is still a challenge” as homicides and aggravated assaults continue to be “the biggest issues that we are dealing with.” Atlanta has 1,610 sworn officers this year and up to 423 vacancies, Coyt said, but he said the department is screening “a number of individuals” who have expressed interest in being police officers.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
