A woman identified by police as the owner of a southwest Atlanta auto shop was arrested on a forgery charge after a customer discovered his two classic cars stripped down nearby, authorities said.
Tranika Kelley was taken into custody Wednesday on one count of second-degree forgery, Atlanta police said. As officers investigated reports of multiple stolen cars at two locations on Delowe Drive, Kelley arrived at the scene to ask what was happening. She was arrested after being identified as the owner, police said.
The case began when a man called 911 to report that two of his cars had been stolen, police said. He said he had left a 1980 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a 1984 Pontiac Firebird at the auto shop for repairs. When he did not hear back from the mechanic, the man decided to check back in person.
While investigating the state of his cars, the man discovered both had been stripped down and moved to a location down the street, police said. He called 911 just after 7:30 p.m. to report the thefts.
When officers responded, they checked several cars at the scene and discovered others were reported stolen, police said. They secured a search warrant and all of the stolen cars were towed to a police facility to be processed as evidence. Three were recovered from a lot at 2006 Delowe Drive and one was found at 1997 Delowe Drive, the address for a shop called 244 WheelsNTires.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the business.
Officials did not say if further charges would be filed against Kelley or if additional arrests would be made.
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