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Crime & Public Safety

Man beaten to death at DeKalb motel

An assault at a DeKalb County motel left a man dead Thursday, police said.
An assault at a DeKalb County motel left a man dead Thursday, police said.
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John Spink
By Lauren Foreman and John Spink

A man has died in a brutal assault at a DeKalb County motel and his attacker is on the run, police said.

About 6 a.m. Thursday, officers responded to a call about a fight at the United Inn and Suites on Memorial Drive.

“Right now, we don’t know why the victim and the suspect got in some kind of physical altercation,” DeKalb police Lt. Lonzy Robertson said.

A witness called 911.

The attacker initially stayed on the scene, but later left on a MARTA bus, police said.

When officers arrived, they found the 35-year-old victim unconscious outside room No. 320.

He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died, Robertson said.

The attacker is about 5-foot-10 and 250 pounds, police said. He is bald, has a beard and was wearing a camouflage shirt with black pants, Robertson said. Police do not believe he is armed.

It is unclear if he and the victim knew each other.

MARTA’s deputy police chief is overseeing efforts to help find the man, the agency said.