Police are investigating after a woman said she might have witnessed a kidnapping in southeast Atlanta on Thursday morning.
The woman told investigators she watched as two men loaded a woman into a white van at Moreland Shopping Center on Moreland Avenue, according to Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee.
The woman called police about 8 a.m. and said she saw a woman sitting inside a gray, older-model, four-door Infiniti.
At that point in the morning, the stores in the shopping center are closed and the area does not see a lot of traffic, investigators said.
Nearby was a white work van, she said. At some point, two men got out of the van and when the woman got out of the Infiniti, they “forced her into the van through the side door,” Chafee said.
“The witness advised she was observing the incident from a distance, but it appeared that the female was struggling with the males,” Chafee said.
After loading the woman inside the van, one of the men got into the driver’s seat and drove away, the witness told police. The other man got into the woman’s Infiniti and left.
Investigators have not determined what happened, Chafee said. Police have not received any reports of a missing person or a possible victim from Atlanta or surrounding jurisdictions, he said.
“At this time, investigators are working to identify all parties involved and determine what exactly occurred,” Chafee said.
The drivers went in separate directions, homicide investigator Lt. Pete Malecki said in a news conference Thursday afternoon. He said surveillance video shows an exchange of some sort, but doesn’t show an actual physical struggle.
“At this point we are still in the early stages of the investigation trying to determine if this is indeed a kidnapping or some type of horseplay situation” he said. “However, we are taking it extremely seriously and we are going forth with the investigation as it is an active kidnapping.”
The witness told police the Infiniti had a temporary tag with a gas tank door that was either missing or painted black. She said the white van had doors that open on the passenger side.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Atlanta Police Homicide Unit at 404-546-4235. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
In other news:
About the Author
