NBA star Enes Kanter said he was “shocked and disgusted” to see video of his younger brother being robbed at gunpoint over the weekend in downtown Atlanta.
Kanter, 29, a center for the Portland Trail Blazers, said his brother was walking around early Sunday morning when he was ambushed by four men. Atlanta police confirmed they are investigating the incident, which was reported shortly after 4 a.m. in the parking deck of the One12 Courtland Apartments on Courtland Street.
“Investigators were notified and will be working to identify the suspects involved,” the police department said in a statement.
According to an incident report released Monday, 19-year-old Ahmet Kanter and two friends said they left the Mixx Lounge on Piedmont Avenue and were walking to a nearby RaceTrac when they were approached by a group of young men who began to harass them.
His friend told police one of the men pulled out a gun and tried to snatch a diamond necklace from his neck, breaking the chain and scratching him. He was able to keep his grip on the necklace and ran into the gas station, where he told a Georgia State University police officer what happened.
The officer reportedly told the group to call 911 as it was not his jurisdiction. They left the RaceTrac and were walking back to their vehicles in the Courtland Street parking deck when they were approached by the same group, this time in a gold sedan, according to the report.
“Four of them followed us at the parking deck entrance, approached us from the back, pointed (two) guns at us, and asked us to throw over our belongings,” Ahmet Kanter’s friend said in a statement to police. “They took my friend’s shoes, wallet, keys, girlfriend’s iPhone X, bracelet, and (the) diamond necklace that belonged to me.”
Ahmet Kanter lives in Alpharetta and is a freshman at Georgia State, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The NBA player shared surveillance video of the robbery on Twitter. In the video, the victims can be seen holding up their hands and tossing their belongings to armed men in masks.
“When will we have some normal gun control measures?” Enes Kanter said on Twitter. “This is not okay (and) not normal. We need to keep demanding peace (and) change, and stop putting guns in people’s hands.”
The player has been vocal on social issues in the past, advocating for human rights in Turkey and speaking critically against the country’s leadership. Kanter, who was born in Switzerland, grew up in Turkey before moving to the United States at age 17 to play basketball. He still has family that lives in that country.
The suspects were believed to have left the scene of the robbery in the gold sedan. 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.
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