Investigators said they are looking into the possibility that the same man who kidnapped and robbed two women in Atlanta is responsible for a similar case in Sandy Springs.
Atlanta and Sandy Springs police are working together to investigate the three incidents, which occurred over one weekend in September and another earlier this month. In the Atlanta incidents, a man forced two female drivers to take him to an ATM after climbing into their back seats and threatening their lives, according to police.
On Monday, investigators released video of the suspect. Earlier this month, a surveillance photo and a sketch of the suspect were released.
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Sandy Springs police confirmed to AJC.com on Wednesday that the same man may be responsible for an Oct. 9 kidnapping in their jurisdiction.
The Sandy Springs incident happened just after 6 p.m. in the area of The Summit condo community along Roswell Road. It “had a very similar M.O.” to the Atlanta incidents two weeks before, police spokesman Sgt. Salvador Ortega said in an email.
The man entered the back of a parked car with a woman inside, and forced her to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash, Sandy Springs police said in a Facebook post. The woman wasn’t harmed.
SSPD is currently investigating a kidnapping/robbery that took place on October 9 just after 6PM in the area of Roswell...
Posted by Sandy Springs Police on Thursday, October 22, 2020
“Our detectives are working with Atlanta PD investigators as we believe it involves the same perpetrator,” Ortega said.
On Sept. 25, Robin Cauthen had just returned to her Jeep after a trip to a salon on Piedmont Road when a man walked up to the passenger side and got in the back seat.
“At the exact same time I’m getting in, this man is getting in,” Cauthen said in an interview with Channel 2 Action News. “He said, ‘Drive or I’m going to blow your (expletive) head off.’”
According to police, the man forced Cauthen to drive to a nearby bank and withdraw $700 in cash. The mother of two and breast cancer survivor told Channel 2 she tried to reason with him.
Cauthen said the man, who identified himself as Robert, became emotional and told her he needed the money to feed his young son. He seemed apologetic, Cauthen said.
She eventually dropped him off at a gas station near Atlantic Station and offered some parting advice.
“Robert, I want you to be the man you want your son to be,” Cauthen said she told her kidnapper.
Two days later, Atlanta police believe the same man kidnapped a woman at the QuikTrip on Sidney Marcus Boulevard, about a mile from Cauthen’s hair salon. The second victim told police she found a man in her back seat after pumping gas about 1 p.m.
The man “told her to drive and to not turn around,” Atlanta police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant said. Again, the man demanded the woman take him to an ATM to withdraw cash, he said.
APD's Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a robbery/kidnapping suspect believed to be involved in several recent incidents. The male suspect is seen wearing a tan hoodie in the surveillance video below. Know something call @StopCrimeATL at 404-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/dUCDrZzirI
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) November 2, 2020
The kidnapper took $200 in cash from the woman’s purse and $800 more when they arrived at the ATM, she told investigators. The woman said she was unfamiliar with the area where she dropped him off.
“Before getting out of her vehicle, the suspect told her not to call police or he would harm her," Grant said.
The suspect has not been identified.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. 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.
