Nine people who police believe were planning to break into vehicles at Lenox Square mall were taken into custody Wednesday night after police stopped a stolen vehicle in Buckhead.
Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones told the AJC Thursday that officers noticed the eight males and one female "hanging around Lenox Mall."
"One of the officer began watching them on camera and they were acting like they were getting ready to break into several vehicles or commit a snatch-and-grab," Jones said. "The nine people began to spread out in the parking lot and started looking into vehicles."
Jones said that at some point, a 2005 Lincoln SUV pulled to the front of the mall and they all jumped in.
"That tag was checked and the vehicle was reported stolen out of southwest Atlanta," Jones said, adding that police later discovered that the SUV owner's son took her vehicle.
Police pulled the SUV over in the 3200 block of Peachtree Road, and took five adults and four juveniles into custody. Three of the people inside were eventually arrested for giving false information, Jones said.
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