Police searching for a man who allegedly has tried snatching at least two women off the street now have a sketch to work from, thanks to one of their own who thwarted an attempted abduction of a southeast Atlanta woman early Wednesday morning.
"This off-duty officer is huge to our case at this point," said Atlanta Police Maj. Keith Meadows.
The Zone 6 commander said the unidentified officer heard the screams of a woman walking to her car on Hawthorne Street off Hosea L. Williams Drive in Reynoldstown a little before 2:30 a.m. The officer ran to the woman's aid, and the suspect fled.
"We believe [the officer] was instrumental in helping the victim escape," Meadows said.
Before fleeing in his car, the suspect inexplicably removed his mask, Meadows said, allowing the officer to see his face.
About 20 minutes earlier and less than a mile away, a masked man armed with a handgun allegedly abducted another woman as she talked with a friend on the porch of her Mayson Avenue home near Coan Park.
Meadows said the abductor stuffed the woman into the trunk of his car, but she escaped by releasing the emergency release latch inside the trunk and jumping out of the moving vehicle. The unidentified victim sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The proximity of the two incidents lead police to believe the same man is responsible. They have described him as a predator.
"I'm afraid he'll do it again," Meadows said.
Officers were out in force Thursday afternoon conducting checkpoints in the Reynoldstown and Edgewood communities where the two attempted abductions occurred.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call Atlanta Crime Stoppers, 404-577-TIPS (8477).
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