text:
2. There will also be another meeting with Mayor Reed, Chief Turner, and other city officials next Tuesday evening, and we want to encourage everybody to attend this meeting as well. We find it very important to keep the momentum going on the neighborhood and city's response to recent crime trends.
3. Media coverage – Here are a couple media reports about Wednesday night's meeting:
4. We leave you with the official police report narrative (with redactions) of last weekend's broad daylight robbery of the mother with her child:
#152761598 | 700s Charles Allen Drive | 10/03/2015 | Robbery (attempted carjacking) – On October 3 2015 at 3:10pm police were dispatched to 720 Charles Allen Drive [roughly Chas Allen & 4th] on a robbery call. When they arrived at the location they spoke to Ms. VICTIM and she advised that she was returning home from shopping with her daughter and noticed 3 black males walking east on 4th street. She at first started wondering who they were but continue to her home. Mrs. VICTIM backed her vehicle into her driveway and got out to get the groceries out of her trunk. As she was getting ready to open her trunk a black male with a small afro, wearing a black pullover hoodie with a teal colored sweat pants came around with a small old black revolver pointing it at her advised her to get on the ground. When she got on the ground, her husband came outside and saw what was going on. and started making noise and screaming at the suspect, who then fled the scene. The victim's purse was located in front of a neighbor's door in the direction suspects fled the scene. The second black male wore a gray hoodie and the third black male had on khaki pants. [Investigators came to the scene, got a statement from the victim] After the suspects fled the scene they went over to 727 Juniper Street NE [Lutheran Tower] and allegedly carjacked someone else.
1. Matthew Higgins – in jail for knife attack
Last week a gentleman was assaulted with a knife at Midtown Promenade as he was leaving work. The redacted police report is below, but we would add that we reached out to the victim, who confirmed to us that he had no prior contact with his assailant. He has been seen around in the area. Thankfully, a Sheriff Deputy happened to be nearby and came to the aid of the victim. We find no other criminal history on the assailant, which leads us to believe that he might be a rather recent transplant. We have attached his mugshots, and are wondering if anybody else in the neighborhood has had any encounters with this individual. Higgins remains in the Fulton County jail on Aggravated Assault charges. We share with you the police report narrative in the case:
#152362804 – 931 Monroe (Midtown Promenade) – 8/24/15 – Aggravated Assault
[abbreviated Report] On 8/24/15 I was dispatched to a fight call at 931 Monroe Dr . Upon arrival I spoke with Mr. VICTIM, [who stated that] Mr. Matthew Higgins attempted to stab him with a knife. Mr. VICTIM stated that he was leaving work walking to his bike at approximately 8:32 PM. As he passed the bus stop Mr. Higgins jumped up and begin swinging a knife at him. Mr. VICTIM stated he backed up and fell to the ground. At that time Mr. Higgins began swinging at his legs, cutting his left pants leg. Mr. VICTIM then kicked him away, got up, and ran off. He stated that Mr. Higgins swung the knife approximately 5 times attempting to stab him in the stomach and legs. A nearby witness, stated that he heard the screams of Mr. VICTIM yelling, "STOP!, STOP!" The witness, a Deputy Sheriff, stated that he ran to stop Mr. Higgins then notified APD of the incident. Mr. WITNESS's statement was placed into evidence and contact information was collected. Mr. Higgins stated that he had nothing to do with the entire incident that took place. Mr. VICTIM was not injured in the incident. … Mr. Higgins was taken into custody at 8:48 PM. and taken down to Fulton County jail.
2. Brandon Burchfield
Earlier this week Atlanta Police arrested a suspect breaking into at least two cars on 5th Street . The suspect, Brandon Burchfield, has been on our watchlist for several years as a result of spending a lot of time among the drug culture in the Ponce & Boulevard area. In his most recent incident, a resident reported him to police upon observing him enter vehicles parked on 5th Street . Police responded quickly, and were able to arrest Brandon Burchfield after the witness told police that was the male he saw. A summary of that arrest narrative:
#152430399 – 300s 5th Street – 8/31/15 – Car Break-in Arrest
At 3:48am on 8/31/15 police responded to a call on 5th Street about a male entering vehicles. The witness told police that as he was sitting on his porch he observed a male walking on the street, looking into vehicles and trying car doors, and eventually enter at least two vehicles parked on the street and remove items. The witness confronted the male, "yelled at him to leave," and then called 911. The suspect responded that "he already got what he came for and tried to leave the area." Police canvassing the area quickly intercepted Brandon Burchfield and found on his person several items believed stolen from the vehicles in question. He was immediately charged with Entering a Vehicle for the purpose of Theft or Felony. The police report also noted that they initially took him to the Fulton County jail, but the jail turned him away and diverted him to Grady Hospital instead. As of this writing it is unclear whether he has since been taken to the jail or if he remains in a hold at Grady Hospital .
Brandon Burchfield has shown himself to be a chronic offender for several years now. In 2011 he had a series of arrests involving entering vehicles, use of stolen credit cards, theft by receiving, and criminal trespassing for illegal purpose. Looking at his jail bookings, he even re-offends within days of being released from jail. Fulton County jail records show this to be his 15th booking, plus other counties show cases in their jurisdictions. Fulton County court records also note that he has been sentenced to drug rehab on more than one occasion – drug court clearly does not adequately protect the neighborhoods where this offender operates. We are therefore adding him to our court watch grid, as his case calls into question the effectiveness of drug courts.
3. Kenneth Lamb
People sometimes erroneously report seeing Kenneth Lamb. Kenneth Lamb is currently in prison for failure to register as a sex offender, and is showing a max date of 5/26/2016. Because he has a tentative parole date of this coming November, we have sent a letter to the State Board of Pardons and Parole emphatically opposing parole for him. He previously served well over 20 years for rape (three separate convictions), and then turned to street drugs afterwards. He was later sentenced to additional prison time for a terroristic threats charge, and maxed out in December 2013. Three days later he was booked into the Fulton County jail for a probation violation, and has been in and out of jail since. We began tracking him when a pattern of menacing and threatening conduct in and around the neighborhood came to our attention, and have closely monitored him since. He became known as the "barefooted panhandler" because he would tell a story about having no shoes, and when people gave him a pair of shoes he would then he discards them and tell the story to someone else. Has also been reported to shout down people walking along the sidewalks, and menaced an area property manager by letting her know that he knows her car and when she works. Because of his rape convictions he was required to register as a sex offender. On two occasions we investigated his reported address, and found one to be a vacant house and another to be group home where nobody knew him. Both of these were very far away from where he was known to spend his time. He continues to be one of our most successful and proactively pursued court watch cases. We share with you the parole opposition letter sent on Kenneth Lamb.
4. Tywong McCoy
From time to time people tell us about a particular long-standing problematic individual, and even have posted to social media about him. Mccoy, who served a prison sentence of several years after a pattern of stalking women in the neighborhood and exposing himself to them, has been prowling around the neighborhood lately. He is among our most menacing offenders of all time. He became a serious problem for the neighborhood in 2007, when he would often fondle himself as he watched women doing yard work, walking dogs, etc., and in some cases exposing himself as well. He was also found squatting on private properties in the residential area, including a maintenance shed on an apartment property.
He became a very proactive court watch case for us, and was eventually sent to prison for five years for Aggravated Stalking. During that time we sent a parole opposition letter, and successfully prevented any early release for him. Unfortunately that sentence maxed out, and he was released in December of 2012. Since then he continues to generate frequent reports of anti-social behavior, the most common of which are smoking a crack pipe while walking down the street, and prowling around on private property. He continues to go to jail regularly on vagrancy-type offenses and crack possession. Needless to say we find his continued presence to be very menacing, and need for people to call 911 when he is doing these things in public especially in the residential area. In the longer run building up documentation of his conduct would be the only way to build an effective court watch case aimed at protecting the Midtown community. We warn not engage him in any kind of interaction, as he should be considered dangerous.
5. Hosea Smith
Hosea Smith, known as "Peaches" on the street and among the most recalcitrant criminals among the street prostitute group, is now in prison until 2021. Douglas County courts, according to their records, sentenced him to six years of imprisonment for Assault with Intent to Infect Someone with HIV, along with Riot in a Penal Institution. This one came under our radar in 2011 when he attacked a woman just outside her home at 3rd & Piedmont . Eventually he ended up in a Florida prison, but was released in 2013. Since his release in Florida , he was in and out of jail usually on warrants from other jurisdictions ( Clarke County and Douglas County among them). Whenever he was not in jail he would come into our neighborhood to pursue prostitution and contribute to street crime here.
Hosea serves as a prime example of why we need enhanced legislation to address street prostitution and its incumbent criminal activity in residential areas. In the past he has told police officers that he had no intention of discontinuing his contribution to neighborhood crime and disorder, and did not care about what the neighborhood thought about his activities. Even though the latest conviction occurred in Douglas County , we plan to oppose parole for this offender because he has shown every time that he will come right back to our neighborhood and resume criminal activity. Once the Parole Board sets a tentative parole month we will schedule our parole opposition efforts.
6. Michael Ted Hawkins
Our neighbors in Virginia Highland have urged folks to be on the lookout for an individual who has also come under our radar over the years. Our research also corroborates this information and he is wanted by the Michigan Dept. of Corrections as an absconder from felony probation. We have not had reports about him in the MPSA service area but if you have been approached by him we would like to know about it. As posted by the VaHi folks:
Michael Hawkins (aka Michael Norberg) has once again been seen in the neighborhood and of all people for him to approach, he stopped John Wolfinger [public safety activist] asking first to do some yard work and later for a ride. John, of course, remembered this individual who was very aggressive with residents of VaHi and Morningside back in 2012. John indicated that he looks somewhat better today than in this old mugshot from 2013. Hawkins has a long sheet including charges for theft, weapons, drugs, aggravated assault and criminal trespass. He was arrested at Ansley Mall in September 2012 and upon learning that he had an outstanding warrant in Michigan , he was returned to that jurisdiction. A check through Atlanta Police Department last week indicated that the Michigan Department of Corrections is currently looking for him for a parole violation. If you encounter this individual in the neighborhood, please call 911 and let the call taker know that there is an outstanding warrant for this individual in Michigan . Under no circumstance should you engage with him, give him work, or allow him into your home or vehicle.
Mugshots of the aforementioned
1. Meeting with our community prosecutor
Earlier this week we met with Keith Lamar, our current Zone 5 Prosecutor. We presented six cases of interest to us:
The six cases are listed below. We were very pleased with the attention given in the cases, and received some recommendations on how to prioritize these cases. These cases will be closely monitored by us and by our community prosecutors. Our feeling is that Midtown has a lot of support and interest from the Fulton County DA's office via our community prosecutor. Currently, Keith Lamar is acting as community prosecutor for both zones 5 and 6. A new community prosecutor is coming on board very soon to take over Zone 5 (our zone), and we will be meeting with her at some point. During the transition period Mr. Lamar will work closely with us in dealing with the six cases we have presented to him. In other words, we are now moving full force ahead with the court watch program.
2. The court program – what it is:
The website of the Fulton County District Attorney's office sums it up best: One of the most successful and recognizable Fulton County Community Prosecution initiatives is the Citizens' CourtWatch program. Often dubbed the 'eyes and ears' of the community in court, CourtWatch was created by District Attorney Howard as a vehicle to engage average citizens in the criminal justice system. As Community Prosecutors track cases involving repeat offenders and those of general interest to the community, CourtWatchers are encouraged to attend court proceedings and, when deemed appropriate by the Court, offer perspective regarding the impact a defendant's criminal activity has on a community. We have revised our general information page on the court watch program at http://www.midtownponce.org/misc/court-watch
3. What we now need from neighborhood folks:
If you are at least sometimes available in the mornings, and can go with us to a court hearing, then we would like to add you to a special email distribution list for court watch purposes. When a case arises, we will then send out a detailed case briefing, work out carpooling arrangements, and other logistical details. While a pool of about 20-30 potential participants would be optimal, we normally only need a handful of volunteers to actually go to a hearing. One person knowledgeable about the case in question and its defendant(s) will be designated a spokesperson for the group (normally an MPSA board member). Sometimes multiple neighborhood groups are involved with a court watch case, as we often share many of the same criminals with other nearby places.
Hearings very often come up on very short notice, and in many cases it may even come in the late afternoon for a hearing the very next morning. We will monitor dates through the Superior Court website, but last minute changes do happen. We then call upon the court watch volunteer list for a handful of attendees for the hearing, and quickly work out carpooling arrangements, provide a detailed briefing on the case, etc. This is very much a hit-or-miss deal – sometimes we can make it, sometimes not. The larger our pool of volunteers, the more likely we will "hit." Historically, we typically attended one or two hearings per month and many did not result in a conviction on that day. Sometimes defendants back off of a guilty plea when they learn that court watch attendees are in the gallery, but even when that happens we know we are getting somewhere with a clear message that folks will take a strong stance against those bringing criminal activity to our neighborhood. But when they do take a plea, or a guilty verdict is handed down, then we want to be ready to spring into action.
4. The cases we submitted (each linked to its own case briefing sheet):
The goal is to (1) find out which city streetlights/bulbs need to be replaced and (2) find out which areas we need to request the city to add streetlights.
We are calling for volunteers to sign-up for a street (partial street, block, alley, etc.) to check on the streetlights and dark areas. We hope to have the list of lighting needs/information compiled by August 31.
Please see the attached map for streets that need volunteers (we also need people to sign up for alleys)! To sign up for a street, half of a street, a block, alley, etc., please email firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you volunteer to check a certain street, block, or alley, we request you do the following on or before August 31 and email the information to email@example.com:
1. For broken streetlights: Write down the Serial Number on the light pole (if you cannot see the serial number, go back during the day and see if you can find it) and write down the location of the pole (i.e. on Argonne between 6th and 7th in front of ### (House number). Take a moment to study the physical relationship of the pole to the surrounding buildings, driveways, and other permanent features and include this in your description. If possible, take a picture of the pole and surrounding area.
2. For dark areas where we need a streetlight: If there is already a pole (but no streetlight is attached to the pole), write down the pole serial number and write down the location of the pole (i.e. on Argonne between 6th and 7th in front of ### (House number). Take a moment to study the physical relationship of the pole to the surrounding buildings, driveways, and other permanent features and include this in your description. If possible, take a picture of the pole and surrounding area. Also, feel free to make any other notes or suggestions you might have for helping to light up the dark area.
Please, DO NOT walk by yourself. We want you to do this in groups and please take flashlights with you. As an incentive for volunteering, we want to organize a neighborhood get-together (snacks, adult beverages, and good conversation with your neighbors). We are planning the get-together for Tuesday, September 1 and will give more details when available.
We want to light up Midtown and take away all those dark hiding spots, but we need your help to do it!
1. Fulton County courts sentence too many repeat offenders too leniently. With the 8/05 robbery we see how people in the community are being victimized by repeat felony offenders who should have been dealt with long ago.
2. The situation with street prostitution and drug activity in the Piedmont & 3rd/4th area seems to be escalating into a more serious matter. The 8/04 robbery demonstrates the Broken Windows theory in action – public disorder not suppressed escalates into increasingly serious criminal activity.
3. Many of our robberies are perpetrated by offenders coming from relatively far away rather than in the neighborhood or even nearby places like Bedford-Pine. The offenders in the 8/02 carjacking situation came up from Southwest Atlanta to scout for victims, so effective preventive measures have to be taken in part well outside of Midtown.
#152170393 – Juniper & 10th – 8/05/2015 – Robbery (strongarm)
On 8/5/2015 at 3:30am the victim was walking along 10th Street to his UBER ride after leaving Blake's when he was approached by an unknown male asking for cash. The victim told the male that he did not have any cash, so the male lunged at him, grabbed him around his neck, and began to choke him until the victim fell to the ground. While being choked, the assailant went through the victim's pocket and extracted some cash. After taking the money, the offender calmly continued along 10th Street toward Piedmont. A witness was walking along the other side of 10th at the time of the robbery, and told police that he had also been approached by the same offender a few minutes prior. Several police units, with the help of MPSA Patrol, canvassed the area and spotted the suspect at Juniper & 4th, an area alreadyinordinately plagued with street criminals. Both the victim and the witness were taken to the location of interception, where they positively identified the suspect as the perpetrator.
The suspect, Robert Williamson, was charged with Robbery and transported to the Fulton County jail where he remains as of this writing on robbery charges. This is his 26th booking at the Fulton County jail according to public records. He was also released from his last prison sentence in 2014 after serving less than an year and a half for another robbery, an offense for which the Georgia Criminal Code provides for 20 years imprisonment. His periods of incarceration keep getting shorter and shorter, and this offender has been recycled through the drug court program in recent years. This offender has also been known to deal drugs on the street, and was banished from the Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park area as part of sentencing in a previous offense.
#152160049 – 300s Ponce de Leon Avenue – 8/04/2015 – Robbery (pepper spray)
Shortly after midnight police on 8/04/2015 responded to a call about a male screaming as he was running in the roadway. Upon arrival they found that the victim had been pepper-sprayed by one of the street criminals frequently loitering in the Piedmont & 3rd area. The victim was walking to Krispy Kreme when what he described to police as a "male dressed as a female. wearing a wig and a purple dress." He further told police that the assailant ran up behind him, asked for $5 and then solicited him for sex, both of which the victim declined. The perpetrator then became angry, pepper sprayed him, and demanded his wallet. The victim started to run as he pulled out his cellphone to call 911, but because he was disabled by the pepper spray the assailant grabbed it out of his hand and fled.
Because the victim's phone had a tracking app, police were later able to locate the offender several blocks away on Piedmont. When police reached the location where the phone was showing, they noticed an individual toss some objects into some nearby bushes. Police intercepted the individual, now identified as Cedric Mitchell, and recovered the victim's cellphone and pepper spray from the bushes. Mitchell was transported to his 15th booking in the Fulton County jail on charges of Armed Robbery, Simple Battery, and Theft By Taking. This offender has prior convictions for drug and theft offenses. It is also worth noting that this offender often sports a big smile in his jail mugshots (see collage in gallery below).
#152140391 – 295 Ponce – 8/02/2015 – Carjacking
As the victim was leaving the Eagle nightclub, he was approached by two black males that seemed to be yelling homophobic slurs at him. Once he got closer to the two males, "they [seemed] nice and needed a ride to Vine City MARTA Terminal," so he allowed the two men enter his vehicle. Once all seated in the vehicle, the male in the back seat began going through his things, and the other then said that they needed to go pick up someone else. So the victim rescinded the offer to take them to Vine City. One of the males then began striking the victim and then pulled out a handgun while continuing to strike him. At that point they took his phone and his wallet, dragged him out of the car and threw him onto the ground. Then they drove off with the vehicle.
Once officers put out a bulletin on the carjacked vehicle, police units in Southwest Atlanta located it and arrested one of the suspects. Police there noted that he seemed to be wiping prints off of the vehicle. The victim was taken to the location of interception in Southwest Atlanta, where he positively identified the detained suspect as being among the pair that robbed him. The suspect arrested, Sheridan White, was taken to the Fulton County jail on charges of Hijacking A Motor Vehicle, Aggravated Assault With A Deadly Weapon, Armed Robbery, and Obstruction or Hindering Law Enforcement Officer. He remains in the Fulton County jail ineligible for bond according to public records. The police report also noted that "voluntarily stated that he was due in court on Tuesday 8/4/2015 for Receiving Stolen Property (stolen vehicle) and that it was said to be affiliated with a gang." Public records confirm an arrest for these charges this past February.
Police believe they have identified the other suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. So far nobody has been booked into the jail under that name. We will update once a booking is found.
Suspects named in this report:
On August 4th, MNA and MPSA brought together Midtown Residents and Businesses to celebrate in "Giving Neighborhood Crime & Drugs A Going Away Party". We staged our annual block party on Myrtle Street between 4th and 5th Streets. Atlanta Police Department and other public officials joined us to promote police/community partnerships, crime prevention awareness, safety and neighborhood unity. Residents and Businesses got to meet our Zone 5 officers and City Officials.
NNO 2015 Business Sponsors/Donors:
MPSA annual Sponsors: Coro Realty; Midtown Tire (Goodyear); Fifth Group; Post Properties;
Donors for NNO: Target; Zaxby's; Cultivators; Boogalou; Monroe Shell Station; The Hilliard Firm; Papi's; TpFlr; Lucky Exchange; Highland Bakery; Piedmont Conservancy; Sig Samuels Cleaners; Midtown Smile Center Dental; Brusters; Mary Macs Tea Room; Symposium Wine; Fast Signs; L & M Grocery; Krispy Kreme; The Dakota; Shep's Midtown Ace Hardware; City Councilman Kwanza Hall; Lethal Rhythms Entertainment
Thank you for your continued support in making Midtown safe. We'll be doing this next year!
#152122991 – 400s Greenwood – Robbery – 7/31/2015
[Summary] During the 11pm hour two men in a silver SUV held up a woman as she was walking into her home. According to the police report, she was standing in front of her home texting, with her back toward the street, when she was suddenly pushed from behind and to the floor of her porch. With a gun pointed to her head, she was robbed of her purse and cell phone. As suspect description in the report, the only detail was two black males. The victim was so shaken that she did not get a good look at them.
#152023173 – 700s Argonne Avenue – Robbery – 7/21/2015
[Summary] As they walked along Argonne at 4th toward 3rd Street during the 11pm hour, two victims were approached by two young black males armed with handguns. When the victims noticed they were being followed, the offenders closed the gap and robbed the victims They then left the scene calmly, headed north on Argonne. The victims described the males as being in their mid to late 20's. Cellphones and keys were taken.
#152022900 – 300s 10th Street – Robbery by snatch – 7/21/2015
[Summary] During the 9pm hour a would-be victim flagged down police to report that someone had just attempted to snatch his bag. The would-be victim did not comply, and nothing was taken. Police canvassed the area but did not find the suspect.
#151992592 – 265 Ponce de Leon Ave – Aggravated Assault – 7/18/2015
[Summary] During the 11pm hour on 7/18 two women got into an intense street fight. Once police arrived they began interrogating two women about the fight, one of whom already had a gash over her eye. Then the woman swung and struck the one with the gash. Once the belligerent woman was brought under control, she was booked into the Fulton County jail on aggravated battery charges.
#151942842 – 931 Monroe – Carjacking – 7/13/2015
[Summary] Around 11pm three victims were on their way back to the car parked in front of Starbucks when a car with four black males pulled up, and then robbed and carjacked the victims. The victims were unhurt. Around 5pm on the next day police intercepted a group in southwest Atlanta with multiple cars that had been carjacked in other places, including the one here in Midtown and another from Douglas County. One of the suspects had keys to additional vehicles that had been carjacked in other places. The arrestees extracted from the Midtown car (who were not necessarily the four culprits the night before) were ages 12, 16, 16 and 15 The arrestees pulled from the vehicle carjacked in Douglas County were ages 15, 16, and 20. The suspects all live in zip code 30311, in southwest Atlanta.
#152000000 – Glendale & 8th area – Misc. Serious Incident
[Summary from victim] "[We] I were awakened around 11:30pm by repeated knocking on our front door. We looked outside and saw 4 black men walking around our front and back yards. One in the back was walking around smoking and peering into our back windows. We called 911 and the police arrived within 2 minutes. Long story short — they caught and arrested 3 men, none of whom were armed but all have criminal records and prior convictions for burglary (2 are on probation). The police [told us] this was textbook casing and were certain they were going to break in — which apparently just happened in a very similar way in the 300 block of 9th St. While we were being interviewed, [We] also saw a gold minivan in front of our house idling before we called 911. About 20 minutes after the police left with the first 3 in custody, they came back and asked us to identify a minivan down the street (parked in front of a neighbor's house). It was the same one [we] had seen. They found a 16-17 year old black male hiding in the van – which is registered to the grandmother of one of the other three. The police arrested that person as well. While I was walking home, he shouted "You're dead" at me from the back of the police car. [We believe] a 5th person might be out there — the guy in the back she saw looked about 40 — but he wasn't one of the people caught. (I'm guessing the van was going to be driven up our driveway)." MPSA note: A gun was found on the property of a nearby neighbor's house, which leads us to believe that this crew may have had some very bad intentions. Three suspects were arrested in this incident, and we have identified two of them (the full police report will not be available until a later date). Their mugshots are below. Court records show Cory Roberts to be on active probation for burglary, and Jarquavious Pierce has a felony conviction for Theft.
Two of the arrestees from the Glendale & 8th incident
#151952327 – 800s Myrtle Street – 7/14/2015 – Burglary
[Summary] At 3:40pm on 7/14/2015 a home on Myrtle Street was burglarized and robbed while the homeowner was taking a nap with the dog upstairs. A thin, tall African Americam male around 18-20 years old with shoulder-length braids stole four laptops, and spent about 10-20 minutes in the house based on surveillance video. It is believed that he had prior knowledge of the home, which is currently under renovation. A video of the suspect is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRsy-uuXAS0, and still shots have been shared on Nextdoor.com.
#151940801 – 700s Monroe Drive – 7/13/2015 – Burglary
[Summary] On July 13, 2015 between 1:40 am and 3:30am, at least two men stoled thousands of dollars in computers from a commercial building in the 700 block of Monroe Drive. A video of the suspects is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuynlg5rFN0
#151893099 – 600s Durant – 7/09/2015 – Robbery
I Sgt. P**** responded to a pedestrian robbery call at 600s Durant Pl. Upon arrival I spoke with both victims, Mr. VICTIM1 and Mr. VICTIM2. They both stated that they were standing outside of their apartment smoking a cigarette when 3 black males walked up to them. One black male wearing a white t-shirt pulled out a sliver handgun and stated, "shut the fuck up and get on the ground." One victim got on the ground and the other stood with his hands up. The other two suspects then went into the victims pockets. They took a Nexus 85, keys. wallet with ID, Visa Credit card, $47 and a pack of cigarettes from Mr. VICTIM2. They went through Mr. VICTIM1's pockets, but he did not have any belongings on him. The suspects began to walk away. As they walked away they said he can have the cigarettes back and threw them on the ground. ID 7338 came out to the scene and processed the cigarette package. There is a halfway house on the corner that has cameras pointed towards where the suspects walked and possible captured them walking right before they committed the robbery. I spoke with the Georgia Corrections officer working inside, and he said that they would be able to pull the tape in the morning. Investigator 5529 came to the scene to debrief the victims. There was no injuries. Phoenix was raised and canvassed the area for the suspects.
#151893045 – 300s 8th Street – 7/08/2015 – Robbery
On 7/8/15 I was dispatched to a pedestrian robbery at 323 8th St NE. Upon arrival I spoke with Mr. VICTIM. Mr. VICTIM stated that he was outside his apartment and two black males came up on him and pulled a silver handgun on him. The males forced him to lay down and started stealing his property. They took an iPhone 65, Wallet with all credit cards, and a set of keys. Mr. VICTIM stated that both males where black males between the ages of 17-23. The male with the gun was wearing a white tank top and dark colored shorts, with a high-top fade. Mr. VICTIM stated he didn't get a good look on the 2nd male. After the robbery he stated the males casually walked up 8th St towards Argonne Ave. CID 5529 was notified. No further action was taken at this time. MPSA NOTE: This incident was covered in media reports, which you can read at Project Q and at Midtown Patch.
#151870894 – 800s Penn Ave – 7/05/2015 – Robbery
Mr. A. VICTIM reported at the zone five precinct an incident of robbery. Mr. VICTIM stated to officer B****1 (desk officer) that he was walking in the area of his home (7-5- 2015 after 2200hrs.) on Penn Ave. NE when he was approached from behind by a black male subject who asked him for his phone. Mr. VICTIM said that the male suddenly pulled out a small gray color hand gun and pointed it at him and then rifled through his pockets. Mr. VICTIM advised that the male took his cellular phone and wallet and ran off–telling him repeatedly not to turn around. Mr. VICTIM wasn't injured as a result of this incident. Mr. VICTIM said that on the following day 7-6-2015 at approximately 0800hrs., he found his wallet on his front porch – minus $25 cash. Mr. VICTIM offered no explanation as to why he did not call the police on 7-5-2015. officer B****1 contacted the zone five investigative unit (B****) who responded to the zone five mobile precinct and interviewed Mr. VICTIM.
#151862563 – 900s Argonne Ave – 7/05-2015 – Robbery
On July 5th, 2015 at 11:00 pm I was dispatched to 900s Argonne Ave NE regarding an armed pedestrian robbery. I arrived on scene at 11:05 pm and spoke to VICTIM whom stated that he was walking West on 8th St across Argonne Ave NE when someone suddenly came up behind him and put a gun to his neck, asking for whatever he had on him. Mr. VICTIM stated that he gave them his wallet and cell phone. Mr. VICTIM described the two males as black, young males. very early 20's, one wearing a white shirt and red jeans. the other wearing dark clothing. The males fled on foot west on Argonne Ave. The number to the stolen phone is: ###-###-####. No one was injured in this incident and Sgt. J**** was notified. General Investigator Unit 4380 responded to the scene and spoke to the victim. I was driving vehicle # 32416. There are no cameras in this area. Mr. VICTIM does not have a phone, however. his friend NNNN can contact him: ###### and his address is XXX xth St NE. This incident will be related to incident #151862561 which occurred only 1 minute prior to this at 800s Glendale Ave NE which is less than one block down the street.
#151862561 – 800s Glendale – 7/05/2015 – Robbery
On July 5th, 2015 at 11:00 pm I was dispatched to 890 Glendale Terrace NE regarding an armed pedestrian robbery. I arrived at the location at 11:05 pm and spoke to Mr. VICTIM. who stated that two black males approached him while he was walking on Glendale Terrace across 8th St NE. one with what appeared to be a gun in his hand, demanding whatever he had on him. Mr. VICTIM stated that all he had on him was his Black Apple iPhone 6 so he gave it to them and they ran away on foot. Mr. VICTIM stated that they were two young black males, wearing a white tank top/ t-shirt and red basketball shorts. The other male may have potentially had on dark colored shorts. The males were very young 20's and fled on foot North on 8th St and West on Argonne Ave. Mr. VICTIM stated that the iPhone had a cracked screen as well. Mr. VICTIM stated that he was tracking his iPhone using Apple ID: #### and the last known location for it was Peachtree St and 10th St NE, then the signal went dead. The stolen phone's # is #### No one was injured in this incident and Sgt Peters was notified. This incident will be related to case #151862563, the same suspects on both calls.
#151833071 – 300s 7th Street – 7/02/2015 – Robbery
Reported in separate bulletin at http://www.midtownponce.org/p6784.html
Let me begin by thanking Patti and Jeff Ellis for hosting Wednesday evening's Midtown safety event. It was great to have the police officers there, including Zone 5 Commander Major Wayne Whitmire & Deputy Chief Joseph Spillane, as well as City Council Members Kwanza Hall and Alex Wan. It is important that we take last night's concerns and energy, and do what we all can to make Midtown a safer place to live. As the new president of the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance, I would encourage you to join our organization if you are not already a member. Since its inception in 2003, MPSA has done a great deal to make Midtown safer, and will be offering additional ideas to address what I hear and believe to be the most immediate concerns: the spike in the number of armed robberies and home break-ins.
In the weeks and months ahead, we are going to be working hard on a membership drive to bring in more resources to MPSA. This will allow us to add to the currently budget 36 hours/week of patrolling being coordinated by retired Atlanta Police Department Sergeant Bill Cooper (concentrating even more on the times the armed robberies are occurring, late night/early morning). In addition, we are going to be working on increasing the number of homeowners with cameras. Based upon what I have learned to this point, a good camera system can be purchased and installed for less than $2,000.00. My wife and I are moving ahead with a camera system at our home on Charles Allen Drive. I would like to thank everyone who attended last night's meeting and encourage you to join MPSA at a cost of $275.00/year for most homeowners. I look forward to working with you on the common goal of making Midtown an even better place to live.
Guy Drexinger
President, Midtown Ponce Security Alliance
After an exhaustive search, we recruited Guy Drexinger as our new president. He moved to Midtown from Marietta in 2014. As a CPA he was in a tax accounting practice with his father in the 1980s in East Cobb. After graduating from law school in 1992, he started a solo law practice in Downtown Marietta, specializing in estate administration, where he continues to work with his wife. He has been on a number of boards in Cobb County, was a County Administrator through the Cobb County Probate Court from 2000-2005, and ran a statewide campaign for Insurance Commissioner in 2006. He and his wife live on Charles Allen Drive, and their 24 year old daughter, Lauren, lives in Grant Park.
The MPSA board is now composed as follows (with year that they joined the MPSA board):
You will be hearing more from Guy very soon as we continue our long-standing dedication to a safe Midtown experience.
The facts of the case:
At approximately 10:25pm on July 2nd, a pedestrian robbery involving a gun occurred at Argonne & 7th. As police began to travel in that direction upon receiving the call over police radio, they spotted a vehicle matching the description of the offending vehicle. They intercepted the suspect vehicle approximately 45 seconds after the call was dispatched from radio. One of the males in the back seat had short dreadlocks as described over police radio. The officer continue following the vehicle until other police units caught up to the first officer. They then initiated a felony traffic stop at the Exxon Service Station located at 1521 Peachtree St NE. All 5 occupants were detained and placed into separate vehicles. The two victims were then brought to the scene where they positively identified one of the males, Demetrius Farrell, as the one who pointed the gun while demanding at gunpoint wallets and phones.
The suspects:
In the vehicle were five individuals (three males and two females) who were booked on armed robbery charges:
The four adults (or charged as such) were booked into the Fulton County jail and remain there as of this writing. The juvenile was placed into a juvenile detention facility.
Community Impact Statement:
We take the position that whoever robs any Midtowner robs all of us. Over the course of court proceedings we plan to present a community impact statement on behalf of the Midtown community. We have been inordinately afflicted with armed robberies in recent weeks, and wish for this statement to be driven by the sentiments of the Midtown community. Our goal is to incapacitate these criminals for a very long time and thereby prevent further victimization.
A community impact statement urges the sentencing judge to give serious consideration to the community detrimentally affected by the crime perpetrated by the defendant in question. It does not come into play until a conviction is established. We routinely present community impact statements as part of our court watch participation, and have found them to be effective in addressing specific criminals plaguing our neighborhood.
Call to Action:
We therefore would like to hear from folks in the neighborhood about what robberies mean to us. What does it mean to us that these individuals came into our neighborhood and placed two of our neighbors in genuine fear of their lives? What example should be set by the sentencing judge in this case, should these individuals be convicted? Please post your thoughts at the Facebook version of this post, at the Nextdoor.com version of this post, or send them to firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Below are the mugshots of the suspects, followed by the full (but redacted) police report narrative in this case.
#151833071 – 300s 7th Street – 7/02/2015 – ROBBERY
[Official police report narrative (redacted)] On 7/2/15 at approximately 10:25pm I, Officer L**** and Officer P**** were patrolling in the area of 4th St NE and Piedmont Ave NE. While patrolling in the area of the above location we overheard radio advise of a pedestrian robbery involving a gun just occurred at Argonne St and 7th St. Officer P**** and I, Officer L**** then immediately began to travel in that direction. We then turned right onto 7th St from Piedmont Ave NE. While approaching Argonne St after passing Penn Ave we observed a black 4 door sedan making a right turn onto Argonne St from 7th St. We intercepted the suspect vehicle approximately 45 seconds after the call was dispatched from radio. We then proceeded behind the vehicle observing no license plate on the vehicle.
While behind the vehicle traveling North on Argonne Ave, Officer P**** stated that one of the males in the back seat had short dreadlocks as described over the radio of part of the description provided by the victim later identified as Mr. VICTIM1. Once we advised radio of what we had and our direction of travel. Sgt B**** of the Zone 5 CID office advised over radio that the description of a vehicle that was involved in several prior pedestrian robberies that occurred in the same location area was a dark colored sedan, 4 doors that appeared to resemble a compact style vehicle with three male suspects. Upon following the vehicle we awaited for another unit to arrive as the suspects were allegedly believed to be armed. Several other units arrived on scene behind me as backup as the black Saturn 4-door sedan turned right into the Exxon Service Station located at 1521 Peachtree St NE. I then initiated a felony traffic stop with my blue lights and sirens activated. Once the vehicle stopped in the parking lot I then maintained a covered position with my city issued service weapon at the low ready and gave verbal commands for the occupants to exit the vehicle.
Once all 5 occupants were detained and the vehicle was then secured we observed a dark gray revolver underneath of the passenger front seat on the floor. I then advised radio that we recovered a firearm. Officer P**** then advised Crime Scene Unit to respond to the location to process the vehicle, firearm, fingerprints and photographs. While awaiting for Crime Scene to arrive on scene we then identified all of the occupants. There were three males and two females. The driver of the vehicle identified as Mr. Gary Darrell FARRELL (Arrestee) was wearing a white t shirt with blue short style pants with short hair. Mr. Gary FARRELL provided police with a false date of birth on scene of x/xx/xxxx later to be determined as x/xx/xxxx. Mr. FARRELL was not licensed and had no valid identification on his persons. Mr. FARRELL stated they were just driving around looking for a party.
Once they were unable to locate the party, the passenger Ms. LOCKETT stated she wanted to go to a bar. The front passenger Ms. Teairra LOCKETT (Arrestee) stated on scene that she had no idea what was going on and they didn't do anything. The vehicle belonged to Ms. LOCKETT's boyfriend later determined by contacting the aunt of the registered owner. The rear left passenger Mr. Demetrius Jerome FARRELL (Arrestee) was wearing a white tank top with dark blue pants rolled up to his knees with short dreadlocks. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL provided police with his ID card. The back seat middle passenger Mr. JUVENILE (Arrestee) was wearing a gray tank top with dark black jeans and short dreadlocks. Mr. JUVENILE stated that he was 16 years old and doesn't have a valid ID card yet. The rear right passenger Ms. Tiambra SMITH (Arrestee) was wearing a green shirt with blue jean shorts. Ms. SMITH provided police with her identification card on scene. Once all the subjects were identified Inv. W**** and Sgt. B**** arrived on scene to assist with the investigation. Once the scene was secured Sgt. Poole was able to locate one of the victims Mr. VICTIM2 who was present while this offense took place. Sgt. Poole then relocated back to the Exxon service station with Mr. VICTIM2 (Victim) for a show up. Once on scene, the subjects were then taken outside of the patrol vehicles one at a time so the victim could give an accurate identification. The first male that was taken out of the vehicle was Mr. Demetrius FARRELL. The victim positively identified Mr. Demetrius FARRELL as the suspect who pointed the gun at his friend and demanded the phone and wallet. Mr. Gary FARRELL and Mr. JUVENILE were then taken out of the vehicle separately and the victim was unable to identify them as he stated that he was paying attention to Mr. Demetrius FARRELL while he had a gun pointed at him. Approximately 30 minutes later the other victim was located and transported to the Exxon station for a show up. Once arrived on scene the show up was performed in the same manner as with the other victim. Mr. VICTIM1 positively identified Mr. Demetrius FARRELL as the suspect who robbed him with a gun. The victim was unsure of the other suspects. Crime Scene arrived on scene moments later and processed the vehicle, gun and rounds for fingerprints as well as photographs. Once Crime Scene was completed a search of the vehicle was then conducted revealing a HP laptop that belongs to Atlanta Public Schools in the back seat. Also recovered [four] .22 caliber long rifle rounds on the floor behind the passenger seat. Property and evidence was then collected and later turned into police property. The vehicle was then impounded to A-Tow.
All 5 subjects were then transported to the Zone 5 CID precinct for debriefing. The two females stated that they have nothing to say and remained silent. Mr. Gary FARRELL stated that they were out driving around going to a party. Mr. Gary FARRELL also stated that he has no idea what happened and denied any involvement in this incident. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL stated to police that he will speak with police. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL stated that they were driving and they stopped to get some wings at the wing place. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL then stated they came back to pick him up from the wing place. He also stated that he was not involved with this incident. Mr. JUVENILE (Arrestee) stated that he was picked up from his home located on Flat Shoals RD. Mr. JUVENILE stated that he had no idea this incident was going to take place and he did not partake in this crime.
Based upon all of the facts discovered in this case it was determined that the suspect vehicle pulled up in the area of the robbery. The vehicle parked on 7th St NE facing west in between Argonne Ave and Durant Pl. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL exited out from the driver side rear with the firearm, approached the two victims and robbed them at gun point. Then after committing the offense he then returned back to the suspect vehicle to flee the scene. The victim observed the male get back into the dark colored sedan and then travel west on 7th St making a right turn onto Argonne Ave prior to police interception. All the suspects were then placed under arrest and interviewed. Suspects were then transported to the Fulton County Jail. Mr. JUVENILE however is a juvenile so therefore his mother was called and she arrived at the precinct to speak with police as well as consent to her son cooperating with police. Mr. JUVENILE was mirandized in the presence of his mother and stated he would consent in talking with police. Mr. JUVENILE provided 3 different conflicting statements to police during the interview. This interview was conducted at the Zone 5 CNN Center precinct with a audio recording device. Mr. JUVENILE was then taken to get finger printed and photographed by Officer P****.
I then secured the arrest warrants for the arrestees. Mr. Demetrius FARRELL was charged with Armed Robbery (16-8-41) and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (16-11-106). Ms. Teairra LOCKETT. Mr. Gary FARRELL, Ms. Tiambra SMITH and Mr. JUVENILE were charged with parties to a crime of Armed Robbery (16-8-41). Mr. JUVENILE was then transported to the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center.
We received notification that Sean Jessie was released from jail yesterday (6/29). On 11/05/2013 he entered the home of a resident in the Penn & 8th area, robbed her, and then beat her several times her before fleeing. He had apparently watched her walk around the house and enter the basement shortly before the attack. While the victim was in her basement, he forced his way inside and robbed her. Then he grabbed her cellphone and other items, and fled. The victim sustained lacerations, was badly shaken by the attack, and was sore in the days following the attack.
Later that day police were alerted that her tracking-enabled cellphone was turned on, and they went to the location in West End. There they detained a couple individuals in close proximity to the phone. The detainees told the police they bought the phone from someone on the street. During their investigation APD identified Sean Jessie as the suspect and captured him on 11/16/13. At the time he was known to be living on the streets and frequenting homeless shelters around town. He remained in jail until 6/29/2015.
The victim attended several court hearings during all this time, and was usually accompanied by a representative from MSPA. The case was adjudicated on 6/05/2015, when Judge Schwall sentenced this dangerous offender to two years commuted to time served upon entry into Grady's Assertive Community Treatment program, plus probation. Judge Schwall also banned him from Fulton County as a condition of probation except for doctor visits at Grady's ACT team or visits to his mother. In all he served a little over 18 months in confinement for his brutal attack. This was far less than the 18 years that another robbery perpetrator received for an incident on 9th Street the month before. The Penn Avenue attack was his 28th booking in Fulton County. This reiterates the importance of the court watch program and makes a solid case for the implementation of a Judge Watch program to track and monitor sentencing tendencies.
In any case, he's back out there somewhere…
In response to questions asked on neighborhood social media sites, we are providing an overview of how MPSA works. We concentrate most of our patrol hours on daytime hours on weekdays, when residential burglaries most commonly occur in nearly any residential community. The patrol currently operates from 10/11am to 2/3pm on most weekdays. In any community – not just Midtown – these hours are the most vulnerable in terms of residential burglaries.
Sgt. Cooper, our patrol coordinator, also maintains rapport with property owners, APD operations, and other agencies such as Code Enforcement to keep them aware of ongoing issues that affect our neighborhood all hours of the day, and to help us mobilize resources beyond the patrol to address ongoing issues like problem properties. This "neighborhood consultant" aspect of Sgt. Cooper's role with MPSA operation dovetails well with burglary prevention.
In the early years we focused our patrol hours on nighttime hours, when conditions were most problematic at that time. Because conditions at night improved considerably, we began shifting patrol hours to more random times so as not to neglect other issues affecting the neighborhood. Over the years we learned this approach was ineffective, at least in the longer run. So about six years ago we began to focus our patrol on daytime hours, when burglaries most commonly occur. What's worse than having criminals roaming our streets in front of our homes is having them inside of our homes. This strategy has resulted in a 80% decrease in the number of residential burglaries.
Compared to an average of six (occasionally more) residential burglaries a month seven years earlier, we now see months go by without what we call a typical residential burglary (occurring mid-day on weekdays when most folks are at work). Most of the burglaries we are seeing now either occur in large multi-unit buildings with secured entry, or have unusual circumstances (like a drunk person crashing into someone's home during overnight hours, or an offender in some way targeting someone they know). A comparison of burglary incidents in 2015 vs. 2008 is at the end of this article.
We continue to operate a few night and evening shifts. This patrol coverage helps to keep us abreast of what's going on in the area, but this level of patrolling is not adequate to systematically eliminate chronic patterns. Nighttime issues include:
Robberies present us with a very disturbing phenomenon, and with it a need to significantly increase our night patrols. When we started MPSA in 2003 most of our robberies were perpetrated by offenders on foot. In the last few years it has become a very pronounced pattern for robbers to come and go in a car. They either appear in a car and suddenly jump out to rob the victim, or they park, scout for a victim, and quickly leave in a car once they make a hit. Because the perpetrators are in and out of the neighborhood very quickly, the probability that any police officer will be in the right spot at the right time is low. Deploying patrols five times a week during the most common times street robberies occur would increase this probability and help us considerably in reducing robberies. In addition, patrol hours at night would help us address the other aforementioned nighttime issues.
To be specific, we pulled in $72,000 in revenues for 2014. This figure came from 250-300 households, business memberships, and community sponsorships. Around 93% of the MPSA budget provided the neighborhood with daytime patrol shifts along with a few extra shifts in the evening and overnight hours, with only about 7% of the overall budget covering essential administrative expenses. Other than the patrol by off-duty & retired APD officers, all MPSA functions such as court watch, advocacy, research and reports, and collaborative efforts with other neighborhoods and agencies are handled entirely by volunteers.
Adding five late night / overnight shifts per week in order to more effectively target nighttime issues would run us around $40,000 in additional patrol and operational expenses (mainly fuel for the patrol truck). This additional $40k would have to be above and beyond existing membership saturation. This amounts to 145 additional households at $275 each, but this figure could be offset by additional business members, condo assocations, extra donations, and community sponsorships. Even if we fall short of the needed extra $40k we will expand into the overnight hours to reduce the criminal and nuisance activity occuring at those times according to budgetary considerations. The more patrol hours we can sustain, the safer our neighborhood will be.
Our patrol budget is based on membership dues – we are not like Midtown Blue, which is funded by a special property tax in the Midtown Business District. We have seen considerable improvement in the 12 years since we were founded, but much more work remains to be done to maintain and improve neighborhood safety. We encourage those who are not yet members to visit our website and join.
Burglary Trends
We leave you with some stats recently compiled from old MPSA eblasts. The first part itemizes 35 burglaries reported from October 2007 through March 2008. The next part itemizes 7 burglaries occurring during the same months seven years later, which reflects an 80% reduction in burglaries. Nearly all of the remaining burglaries are occurring outside the most common times (9am to 3pm on weekdays, when most residents are absent from any neighborhood), or involve unusual circumstances.
Supplement 1: Six month period October 2007 through March 2008 – reconstructed from archived Eye on Midtown eblasts (this period no longer available on APD crime map). 35 counts!
Supplement 2: Same six-month period in 2014/2015 – Pulled fresh from APD crime map during in May 2015 (and not recycled from existing MPSA reports). 7 counts = 80% decrease from same 2007/2008 period. At least some of these have been reported via the MPSA website.
For this bulletin we examined reported burglaries, robberies, aggravated assaults, and other serious incidents in the MPSA service area reported in May & June.
#151802983 – 6th & Argonne – 6/29/2015 – ROBBERY
REDACTED NARRATIVE: On 06/30/15 at approximately 0014hrs, I was dispatched to 6th & Argonne in reference to a Pedestrian Robbery Call. Upon arrival, I spoke with the VICTIM whom stated that he was robbed at gun point by two black males and his iPhone 6 (black) was taken. VICTIM stated that he was standing at the intersection of 6th St Ne/ Penn Ave NE talking to his mom. He stated that when he was done talking with his mom, he began to walk toward the incident location when he realized that a dark in color sedan (possibly 1990 Honda Civic) ride alongside him. He stated that two black males (at least one male with twists in his hair, a white tee shirt. and a silver in color pistol) did get out of the vehicle and force him into an alley just behind 295 6th St NE. He stated that the males both pointed pistols at him and began to search his pockets. He stated that the males were able to take his iPhone 6 from him but did not take any other items. He stated that the males also pushed him to the ground and kicked him on the left side of his head. Mr. VICTIM also stated that the males got back into the vehicle and fled towards Argonne Ave NE. He stated that he ran the opposite direction and was unable to see which way the vehicle turned on Argonne Ave NE. He was unable to provide a tag# or good description of vehicle/ second suspect at this time. Mr. VICTIM did refuse EMS at this time. Inv. S**** #5525 was also at the location and did get a written statement from the victim.There did not appear to be any cameras in the area that would have captured this incident. We did attempt to track the iPhone but was unable to track it at this time. Mr. VICTIM was provided a case number for this incident.
#151800063 – 4th & Argonne – 6/29/2015 – ROBBERY
REPORT NARRATIVE (REDACTED & SHORTENED): [Police alerted around 12:25am] Mr. VICTIM, stated that he was robbed at gun point. He further stated that,"As I was exiting my parked car at 4th and Argonne Ave, two black men in their early 20's jumped out of the bushes and one pointed a Glock type of pistol in my face. The other took my wallet and searched my car. After they robbed me. they took off heading north on Argonne Ave. Both had dark clothing and one had a red bandanna which fully covered the top of his head. The other had a thin mustache. Mr. WITNESS1 and Ms. WITNESS2 witnessed the crime." Later Mr. VICTIM notified me that his Samsung Galaxy 85 was taken as well. I spoke to Mr. WITNESS1 and he stated that, "WITNESS2 and I were parking her car on Argonne Ave at 4th St. when I observed a robbery at gun point taking place at least five yards from my location. Mr. VICTIM, a friend and co-worker was getting out of his car when two black males approached him and put a gun in his face. One male was wearing a red bandanna. The gun was a semi automatic, maybe a .45 cal. I immediately jumped back into the car and called 911. The two males took off on foot towards 10th St." Ms. WITNESS2 stated that, "VICTIM, WITNESS1, and I were parking to visit a co-worker at the corner of Argonne and 4th. VICTIM drove separately and parked on the 4th St. corner. [While parking in a tight spot] I turned to look behind me on the right to back up and saw VICTIM being robbed at gun point by two black males. One was going in his car and I didn't get a good look at him. The one with the gun was approximately 5 feet 8 inches, medium build and had a short haircut. The gun was a semi-automatic black handgun. As I noticed the robbery, WITNESS1 did as well and went around the front of the car and jumped in my back seat. We pulled forward 20 yards to avoid becoming a the next victim and called 911. We backed up to check on VICTIM and the men were gone. This was about 12:30 after picking up VICTIM we waited 10 minute for police to arrive."
#151703265 – 9th Street – 6/19/2015 – Burglary
SUMMARY: On 06/19/2015 at 11:48pm a call came through the City of Atlanta 911 Center that two males were seen climbing a fence and entering a residence on 9th Street. When police entered the home, they found one male crouching in the bathroom and arrested him after a brief struggle. The second suspect jumped over a rear wall and got away. Police identified this suspect as Christopher McGriff. The suspect in custody told police that "it was my friends idea!" and that his friend suggested that the house probably "has some nice stuff inside." McGriff also stated that they saw the keys in the lock of the back door and opened it. MCGRIFF was charged with Burglary in the First Degree and Obstruction and taken to the Fulton County Jail. Warrants were taken out for the second suspect, who still has not been apprehended and booked as of this writing.
#151650568 – 8th & Argonne – 6/14/2016 – Robbery
REDACTED NARRATIVE: On June 14, 2015, I Officer N**** (1504) responded to 900s Argonne Ave around 3:45am. in regards to a pedestrian robbery. Upon my arrival, I was met by two victims, Mr. VICTIM1 and Mr. VICTIM2 who stated that they were walking South on Argonne Ave between 8th St and 7th St when two black males, approached the two and took $30 and a cell phone from Mr. VICTIM1. The two suspects, both wearing shorts, one wearing an American flag bandana around his face, and the other had dreads. The victims stated that that was the best description they could give. The suspect with the bandana pulled out a small black/blue handgun (non revolver) and demanded their belongings, then took off towards Ponce De Leon on foot. The suspects match the description of the suspects related to [another robbery] call (151630552). [Research Note: this other robbery occurred at Piedmont & 12th] I had the victims fill out a witness statement and forwarded the statement to Zone 5 CID. Both victims were informed of their case number. I advised Sergeant B****(1596) and Investigator D****(4384) of the situation. I observed no cameras in the area.
#151630359 – 10th & Juniper – 6/12/2015 – Robbery
SUMMARY: [2am hour, close to same time as other robbery on this date] Two female victims from out of town had just left Blake's (10th & Piedmont) and were waiting to cross the street at 10th & Juniper, when two black males came up behind them, produced a gun, and told them to "give it up." The male holding the gun was described as sporting dreads and wearing a white sweat shirt with three red stripes. The victims could not provide a description of the second male because they were focused on the gun in their faces. . Ms. VICTIM1 handed the males her silver Michael Kors purse. The other male reached inside of Ms. VICTIM2's pockets and pulled out her iPhone 6. The males then ran east on 10th Street from the incident location. When they walked around the corner, they noticed a dark colored sedan leaving from the area at a high rate of speed. They could not discern if there was a third suspect involved. One of the victims described the gun as being a small caliber black and grey in color, and even believed it was a toy gun.
#151630371 – 400s 10th Street – 6/12/2015 – Robbery
SUMMARY: [2am hour, close to same time as other robbery on this date] The victim was on the sidewalk of his apartment building in which he lives smoking a cigarette with his cellphone in his hand, when two black males walking west on 10th Street stopped to ask for a cigarette. The victim gave them a cigarette and the two continued to walk a few steps as if continuing on their walk west on 10th Street. The two suspects turned around and pointed a handgun at the victim. The victim did not say anything, but instead immediately threw his cellphone on the ground as hard as he could. One of the suspects then picked up his cellphone, and the two began running east on 10th Street towards Monroe Drive. The victim described the suspects as two black males, early 20's, one wearing a grey hoodie, and the other wearing a polo shirt with a green, yellow, or blue stripe across the front. One of the males had short dreads and the other with a short haircut.
#151603026 – 800's Argonne – 6/09/2015 – Robbery
SUMMARY: This report is adequately summarized at http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/pair-beaten-robbery-near-midtown-bar-scene/nmcdx/
#151601263 – 700's Penn Ave – 6/09/2015 – "Burglary"
SUMMARY: A contractor doing renovation work on a house returned one morning to find that a power washer was missing. After contacting the homeowner, they believe that a worker may have taken it. The police advised that they should prepare some information for a warrant on the individual. [MPSA research findings:] As of this writing Fulton County jail records do not show a booking for the named suspect related to this incident. The crime map marked this as a burglary, but this is more like a larceny.
#151570673 – 800's Juniper Street – 6/06/15 – Robbery
On 6/6/2015 at around 4:45am the victim was robbed near 8th & Juniper on the street. The victim had been left stranded at a nearby bar when his friends left without him. While waiting to determine what to do, a black male with slender build and a full beard with sideburns came along with a gun and told him to "give it up." The suspect took $20 from his wallet and his cellphone, and then fled south on Juniper. Police canvassed the area but did not find anyone fitting that description. The victim was not injured in the robbery.
#151550058 – 300's 8th Street – 6/04/15 – Robbery
6/04/15 shortly after midnight – The victim was walking his dog on Glendale terrace when a black male wearing a white tank top and dark shorts, and red bandana covering his face, approached him with a revolver handgun and told him to "give it up." He did not have anything, and the suspect hit him in the head with the revolver. During the altercation, the victim heard a voice yelling and the suspect fired two shots as he ran up Glendale Terrace towards 8th Street.
Later in the night another officer making a traffic stop on North Avenue noticed a male in the vehicle matching the description provided earlier. The victim was transported to the location of the traffic stop, and told police that he believed the male in question to be the one who robbed him. But the suspect stated he was using the ATM machine at Chevron located at 490 Whitehall Street SW and had a receipt with a time stamp of 12:25am in his posession, which is very close to the time of the robbery in question. The suspect stated that he was traveling to a friend's house on Auburn Avenue NE when he was stopped. The APD ID unit arrived on scene to perform a gunshot residue test to determine if the suspect had recently fired a gun. The suspect was released from the scene pending results of the residue test. Fulton County jail records do not show any arrests related to this case, so we are withholding the suspect's name at this time.
#151491096 – 486 Ponce – 5/29/2015 – Robbery
On 5/29/15 at around 9:25am an APD officer on motorcycle was flagged down by someone reporting a robbery and pointing to a male crossing the street as a suspect. The informant was a customer of the Shell station at the Ponce & Monroe who walked in on a robbery in progress and immediately fled the building when the accused pointed the gun at him.
According to the police report, the accused first went to the lottery desk and then suddenly jumped over the counter and demanded off of the store's money as he held a gun to the clerk's head. It was at this point when the suspect pointed the gun at the above-mentioned customer who entered the store and then fled. The accused took the money and left the location on foot. With the help of additional APD units, the motorcycle cop intercepted the suspect fleeing on foot. Once in police custody, the suspect was found with $1500 in loose money, a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber with the hammer pulled back, and items from the store. According to the police report in the case, the customer who flagged down the motorcycle cop and the two associates from the store positively identified the accused as the robber. The store manager was able to pull camera footage of the incident for police to put into evidence. No injuries were reported.
The accused, identified as Erunta Kennedy, was taken into custody and cited for Armed Robbery (§15-8-41), Aggravated Assault (§16-5-21), Possession of Firearm during the Commission of a Felony (§16-11-106), Possession of Frearm by Convicted Felon (§16-11-131), and Forgery in the 1st Degree (§16-9-1). He is a repeat offender with several entries in the Fulton County jail, along with history for various offenses in Douglas County. This latest robbery seems to be most serious charge to date, and he remains in the Fulton County jail ineligible for bond. We are very grateful that one of Atlanta's Finest happened along at the right moment.
#151480273 – 800's Glendale – 5/28/15 – Burglary
At around 2am on 5/28/15 a resident on Glendale Terrace was awakened when her bedroom was shaken by loud and violent banging coming from the apartment below her. She called 911, then her landlord, and fled her apartment to her car to wait for police to arrive. While in the car she watched a man covered in mud approach the main entrance of the building coming from the rear of the property, who then slammed himself against the locked front door and broke it open.
When the police arrived on the scene, the man told them he was a resident of the building and that he was subleasing the apartment. The landlord arrived at the property shortly thereafter, and told police that he was not a tenant. In addition to damaging the front door of the building, the suspect had broken a hole through a brick wall into the crawlspace of the building. Police arrested the suspect, identified as Daniel Williams.
The APD crime mapping feature classified this to be a burglary, but his booking record shows 2nd Degree Criminal Damage To Property, Criminal Trespass, and Loitering/Prowling. He bonded out three days after the arrest. No other history has been found on this individual.
#151451055 – 800's Vedado Way – 5/25/2015 – Burglary
Residents came on the morning of Memorial Day and found the front door smashed in, and the house ransacked and missing a considerable amount of its content. The burglary took place during a 48-hour absence from home.
#151400638 – 5th & Piedmont – 5/20/2015 – Car break-in
At around 7am a resident observed a chronic street person breaking into a car at 5th & Piedmont, and called 911. Police canvassed the area, found the suspect a block away, and brought him back to the scene where the witness visually identified Demarco Presley as the one who broke into his neighbor's car and took several items. The owner of the vehicle was located, who identified that a set of headphones in the suspect's possession as being hers. Presley, a repeat offender who has been on the MPSA watchlist for quite some time, was taken to the Fulton County jail on charges of Entering Auto.
Presley has a very long criminal history. He is currently in jail for the 24th time, and has also been in city jail for other offenses. This is also his 7th booking since being released from his 4th prison stint in 2012. He appeared on the vice arrest logs in 2012 after an arrest off of Cypress Street, so he serves as a classic example of why we need something like the SOAP (Stay Out of Area – Prostitution) Ordinance. Presley remains held in the Fulton County jail held on $13,000 bond.
#151242761 – 600's Argonne – 5/04/15 – Robbery
At around 11:30pm the victim was walking home on Argonne near 3rd when two black males walked up to him and demanded his bookbag. When the victim refused to comply, one of the suspects told the other to "waste him." The victim then saw "what appeared to be a handgun, dropped his bookbag, and ran. The victim was not harmed, nor was the bookbag taken after all. Description of suspects: both 5'10" to 6′ in height. The first suspect had braided hair and a "reddish dark complexion," and wore a red shirt. The other had short close haircut. Police canvassed the area but did not find any individuals matching this description.
#151242641 – 700's Argonne – 5/04/15 – Robbery
At around 10pm a food delivery person was robbed in the Penn & 4th area by three males. One of the suspects had a handgun, and they demanded that the victim hand over everything he had, including money, wallet with personal documents and financial cards, a cellphone, and car keys. The suspects then beat the victim, causing him to sustain a laceration to his forehead and a bruised elbow. The suspects then ran south on Penn and drove in a dark colored sedan. Suspect descriptions: All black males, seemed to be in their early 20s with medium-dark complexion. One suspect had a low haircut and other curly hair. The third suspect was about 6 feet tall wearing a dark shirt with a white curly design on the front.
#151252758 – 200's Ponce – 5/05/15 – Robbery
Shortly after closing time the owner was sweeping the laundromat when a black male appeared in the front of the business. It appeared to the owner like the individual intended to take some clothes hanging on a rack, so he asked what he was doing. The male just turned around and left the laundromat quickly. About 20 minutes later, while the owner was still cleaning the rear of the business, heard his wife screaming. As he came towards the front of the business, he saw the same individual from 20 minutes earlier robbing his wife at gunpoint at the front counter. The suspect was screaming, where's the money? Then the suspect jumped over the counter and struck the owner's wife in the head with the handgun. Once he extracted the money from the owner's wife, he fled west on Ponce.
Another individual walking north on Myrtle Street below Ponce saw the suspect running toward him, and was immediately suspicious. The suspect tripped and dropped a large kitchen knife onto the sidewalk. The suspect continued running toward Publix/Walgreens. After that encounter the witness continued north on Myrtle then on Ponce until he came upon the laundromat where it became clear as to what he had just seen. Suspect description: Black male, age 35 to 40, 5'09" to 5'10" in height, 165-180 lbs, low haircut or bald, partial beard or scruff, wearing a glossy black or dark blue jacket and black or blue pants. Armed with a silver handgun.
#151332304 – 700's Myrtle – 5/13/15 – Burglary
We learned of this incident via Nextdoor.com. According to information posted, the residence on Myrtle Street was broken into between 3:30-5pm. The victim reported that laptops were stolen, and the culprits also rummaged through drawers. The victim did report this to the police. We have no other details at this time. Other than large multi-unit buildings with secured entry, this is our first weekday daytime burglary year-to-date.
#151221597 – 800's Penn Avenue – 5/02/2015 – Burglary
On 5/02/2015 (Saturday!) during the 2pm hour Police responded to a burglary call in the upper part of Penn Avenue. While the resident was in his basement watching television, he heard the door close upstairs as someone left. Upon checking out the situation, he discovered that a white male in his driveway with items taken from the house. As the suspect attempted to flee, the resident tackled the offender and caused him to drop the items. The offender fled leaving the stolen items behind, and the resident called the police.
The resident advised the police that he used to know the offender from a group that they were both part of years ago. He had since learned that the one breaking into his home smokes meth frequently and "might be Schizophrenic and/or bi-polar." After taking the report from the victim, police noted in the report that they sought the offender. The landlord confirmed that he lived there but had not seen him in several days.
MPSA RESEARCH NOTES: Fulton County jail records still do not show a booking for the offender named in the report, nor do we find anything on this individual in public records or social media. It is unclear to us whether the offender knew whose home he was breaking into or if it was sheer coincidence. About the same time as the burglary, another resident on that block wrote to us about an irrational person running around the neighborhood. The menacing individual was described as a white male, wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, and "clearly high on something." He ran into someone's backyard asking those residents to call the police because "people were after him." The description of this individual was consistent with the burglary suspect reported above.
For this bulletin we examined reported burglaries, robberies, and aggravated assaults in the MPSA service area.
#151190455 – 500's Ponce – 4/29/15 – Aggravated Assault
On 4/29/15 during the 4am hour, at a fast-food establishment on Ponce, a disgruntled customer driving a white VW Beetle in the drive-thru began yelling obscenities, and then threw and struck the drive-thru clerk with orange juice just purchased. As a co-worker intervened by trying to close the drive-thru window the offender, described as a light-skinned heavyset black female, got out of her vehicle and waved a small handgun and pointed it at staff inside the establishment. The offender then drove away. Staff at the restaurant did capture a tag number, but the police report in the case indicates that the vehicle was stolen.
#151162531 – 400's 8th Street – 4/26/15 – Robbery
During the 10pm hour on 4/26/2015 a robbery call was lodged from 8th Street across from Grady High School. After leaving a restaurant at Midtown Promenade, three victims were walking west along 8th Street near Charles Allen when they noticed a silver Chrysler sedan pull up behind them. The offending vehicle pulled up to the victims and one of the occupants asked, "what are y'all doing?" At that point three black males exited the vehicle, two of which with firearms, and took the victims' wallets and cellphones, among other items. One of the victims was then struck several times by one of the assailants, leaving him with a bloody nose. The victims advised police that their cellphones had tracking software installed.
#151143323 – 400s 10th Street – 4/24/15 – Robbery
On 4/24/15 at approximately 10:30pm the victim was walking home from 10th & Piedmont when the offender, described as a black male wearing a black T-Shirt and red shorts, about 5'7″ in height and 18-22 years of age, approached him on 10th Street across from the park and asked to use his cellphone. The victim offered to turned on the cell phone speaker and as he dialed a number given, the offender produced a revolver. The victim lost an iPhone, a wallet, and a backpack in the robbery. The offender then fled the area. Police canvassed the area, but were unable to locate a suspect.
#151133279 – Myrtle & 4th – 4/23/15 – Robbery (Carjacking on Myrtle)
4/23/15, 10pm hour – From APD's official info via Facebook:
APD team work leads to quick arrest! Zone 5 [Coverage includes Midtown area] officers responded to an armed robbery call where the victims were robbed after parking a car. The suspects pointed a gun and demanded the victim's cellphones, car keys and drove away in the car.
Zone 1 [covers NW Atlanta] officers received information about the incident and recognized the stolen car. Officers observed a male fitting the description of the suspect sitting in the driver's side of the car and two additional suspects standing near the car with the doors open. The officers approached the car and the suspects fled on foot. A foot chased ensued with officers catching two suspects, recovering the stolen cellphones and car keys. Officers also found two guns in the stolen car.
The two suspects were arrested and charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, theft by taking auto, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, obstruction, and false representation to police. APD is still looking for the third suspect. [NOTE: At least one suspect under 18]
#151071174 – 265 Ponce – 4/14/15 – Burglary
A burglary was reported at 265 Ponce. We have no details on this case. This is a large multi-unit building with secured entry, interior common hallways and a parking deck.
#151031953 & #151031648 – 10th & Piedmont area – 4/13/15 – Burglary:
Several apartments were broken into in a large apartment building with secured entry. The offenders would first have overcome secured entries into the building before breaking into the individual units.
#151003209 – 300's 9th Street – 4/10/15 – Burglary
At 10:30pm on 4/10/15 officers responded to a burglary call in the 300 block of 9th Street. The resident left home around 5pm, and returned around 10:30pm to find that someone had entered the patio area in the rear of the home and stolen a bicycle. There were no signs that the thief entered the home, according to the police report. MPSA NOTE: This is unusual because burglaries do not normally occur in the evening hours. Someone was prowling around the neighborhood at a time when plenty of folks are at home.
#151002728 – 224 PDL – 4/10/15 – Aggravated Assault
This was the situation where the security guard shot at a customer leaving Mary Mac's. More details in news reports.
#150892823 – 931 Monroe – 3/30/15 – Robbery
A 15-year-old Grady High School student was jumped by four males as he walked home from school during the late afternoon/early evening. His cell phone was forcefully taken out of pocket in the parking lot of a shopping center, near its entry to the Beltline Eastside Trail. He went to a nearby business to get help. The cellphone had tracking capabilities, and police were able to track it. It remained turned off overnight, but when it was turned on the next day, police tracked it to Grady High School. Because of the sheer number of students, they had to wait until school was dismissed to monitor the phone's movements. Once they zeroed in on the phone as it moved off campus investigators caused the phone to emit an alarm. They apprehended not far from campus and charged three juveniles with Theft by Receiving. One of the juveniles admitted to being the one who forcefully took the cellphone from his fellow Grady HS student – his charges were upgraded to Robbery by Strongarm.
#150800592 – 300's 5th Street – 3/21/15 – Agg Assault
On 3/21/15, at around 4am, police responded to a call from someone at Argonne & 5th reporting armed individuals roaming around the neighborhood. According to the reporting person, two black males jumped out of a truck and waved a silver pistor at him, but did not make any statements. The potential victim immediately took cover behind some nearby bushes as he called the police. The reporting party told police that he was unable to get a good description of the threatening individuals because as that stretch of 5th Street is rather dark. In all, the reporting person told police that he saw a total of three individuals circling the block in two cars.
#150710358 – Juniper & 3rd – 3/12/15 – Robbery
The victim was walking home from a bar in the neighborhood when he was approached by two black males in the vicinity of Juniper & 3rd. One of the culprits asked the victim, what he had in his pockets. When the victim replied that he did not have anything, the first suspect punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. The first suspect then went into the victim's pockets and took money from him, while the second suspect kicked him repeatedly in the face. The two suspects fled on foot, and the victim walked to a nearby convenience store to call the police. The police report in the case noted that the victim had bruises and lacerations to his forehead.
In a late-evening incident this past Saturday, a resident on 6th Street near Durant was at home entertaining guests when suddenly an individual barged into his home asking for money. The resident and his guests had moved from an enclosed patio area to inside, when the subject suddenly walked in through the unlocked patio door. The resident immediately called 911, and then followed the suspect to Ponce de Leon Avenue where he was intercepted by off-duty police officers working an extra job in the area. At online forums other residents on the same block reported attempted intrusions by apparently the same individual very shortly before this incident. The suspect, identified as Andre Thomas, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of Criminal Trespass. Upon researching this individual, we found that he had just been released from prison in Michigan for Burglary. We found no other local booking history on him.
In another incident, an elderly man on 9th Street was awakened at 7am by an drunken intruder on a Saturday morning earlier this month (3/14). The victim managed to drive the intruder out of his home with a broom, but when police arrived the intruder was trying to enter a nearby neighbor's home. The intruder, identified as Nathaniel Jenkins, was promptly arrested on misdemeanor charges of Criminal Trespass, Prowling, and Public Drunkness. Our thorough investigation of his background turned up no other criminal history, and his Facebook profile leads us to believe that this individual had simply been drinking irresponsibly all night long and had no serious criminal intent as he intruded into the victim's home. Still, the incident left an elderly resident very shaken.
In our previous Major Incidents report we reported on someone crashing into a home on 4th Street near Charles Allen Drive. During the 2am hour, also on a Saturday into Sunday night, a resident was awakened to the sound of someone banging on the front door and then crashing through his living room window. The resident came downstairs, with his firearm drawn, to find a drunken stranger sitting on his sofa cursing and acting in a boisterous manner. He held the intruder at gunpoint until police arrived. Police arrested Ricardo Mora-Olivares for Criminal Damage To Property In The 2nd Degree and Public intoxication. According to the police report in the case, the suspect told the arresting officer that he had been drinking at a local bar, and that he was just looking for a place to sleep. The victim told police that the suspect inflicted $4200 worth of damage to a front door that he recently installed. The suspect bonded out of jail two days later.
We will monitor these cases and share findings with you because a strong statement needs to be made about intruding into people's homes – especially in a frightening manner. While the victims were unharmed in these particular incidents, home intruders come with very dangerous (and even deadly) intentions for their victims in many cases. We therefore urge everybody to double-check doors and windows to make sure they are secured – it is very easy to forget doors and windows not frequently opened. Your first line of personal defense lies in making sure unattended doors and windows are securely locked as a matter of habit.
We leave you with a couple of 8-minute personal defense videos covering the possible outcomes to home intrusion situations, and issues surrounding their aftermath.
#150532360 | Piedmont & 6th – On 2/22/2015 during the 9pm hour a woman was robbed at 6th & Piedmont. According to the police report, a black male, about 6 feet in height and of slim build, and wearing beige jumpsuit with dark-colered hoodie, followed her as she walked along 6th Street. Once he got close enough, he brandished a small silver handgun and demanded that she hand over her belongings. The victim dropped her bag and backed away. She noticed another male nearby standing near a small red vehicle parked on Piedmont just above 6th Street. For a short bit she lost visual contact with the two suspects, but both the car and the two suspects were gone when she looked that direction again.
#150513132 | Penn Avenue - On 2/20/2015 Zone 5 officers responded to a pedestrian robbery call in the 600 block of Penn Avenue. The female victim reported that as she parked her car, she was robbed at gunpoint by "two skinny Black males wearing skull caps, black jackets, and black pants." The suspects pointed a silver revolver at her head and demanded, "give me everything or I will kill you." At that point she gave them her purse containing her cellphone, cash, credit cards, and other essential items. Police units canvassed the area but did not succeed in apprehending the suspects.
#150471155 | Penn Avenue – In this case the male victim came into the police detachment on 2/16/15 to report that he was robbed at gunpoint a week earlier on Penn Avenue. According to the victim, he left Boogalou Restaurant & Lounge to check on his friend's vehicle parked in the 600 block of Penn Avenue. The suspect came up on the victim from behind, pointed a black handgun, and said, "Let me have it." The victim described the suspect as a Black male, about 6'02" in height and of a slim build, with dreadlocks, and wearing a hoodie and jeans. The victim surrendered a cellphone, set of keys, and his wallet containing cash, ID's, and credit cards. The suspect then ran toward North Avenue.
#150073218 | Ponce & Argonne / 4th & Durant – During the 11pm hour on 1/07/15 police took a robbery report at Ponce & Argonne. The victim, a male cab driver, had picked up two males at Parma Rustic Tavern near the Mall of Georgia. The suspects directed the cab driver to take them to a location off of Ponce, where they attempted to rob him. The suspects told the cab driver to stop at an unfamiliar location, and that they did not have any money to pay the fare, and asked the driver to call a friend of theirs. At the time of reporting the incident the cab driver could not tell police where exactly he was robbed, as he was unfamiliar with the area. As the cab driver looked down at his cell phone to dial, one of the suspects struck him with some kind of hard object, and then demanded that he hand over his money. The cab driver took the keys from the ignition and fled the vehicle, and found his way to Krispy Kreme. According the victim, the first male was a Black male wearing a red and black jacket, and the second suspect was a Hispanic male wearing a black leather jacket and tan pants. Because the victim was unfamiliar with the area, he was unable to tell police at that time where his vehicle was. He was taken to the hospital for the injury sustained (police noted that he was bleeding heavily). After release from the hospital, the victim returned to the area and figured out the exact location where he fled the car and escaped from the robbers. The victim contacted police again to report that the incident had taken place in the 700 block of Durant (this would be close to its intersection with 4th Street). The vehicle was no longer at that location, and it is unknown if the suspects took the vehicle. The victim had fled with only a keyless remote, and the car would have been left running. He was also unsure if the suspects took the phone or if he dropped it somewhere as he fled the vehicle.
#150280920 | Penn & 6th – The male victim came into the police precinct on 1/28/2015 to report having been robbed on New Year's Eve. He felt at the time that he did not see anything that would be useful in apprehending the suspects, but when he needed to change the OLN number on his driver license he was instructed to produce a police report. The victim reported that as he was walking through the area of Penn & 6th on 12/31/2014 he was approached by three Black males while he was looking at a map in search of his friend's house. One of the suspects pointed a shotgun at the victim and stated,"Gimme that phone!" A second suspect reached into the victim's pockets and took the victim's wallet and keys. The three suspects left in a 2013 red Toyota Camry. The victim sustained no injuries. A few days after the robbery the victim saw a car in the same area very similar to the one from the robbery, and captured the tag number. The police report notes no findings on this tag number.
#150170223 | Monroe & Virginia – On Jan 17, 2015. at 1:21am APD responded to a Pedestrian Robbery call off of Monroe & Virginia Avenue. The first victim, a male, advised that around 1:10am he got into a car with a female friend he was expecting, but found that there were two additional males in the vehicle (the police report did not provide descriptions). He entered the vehicle into the back seat, when one of the unexpected passengers asked to see his cellphone. The victim realized that he needed to return to his building to retrieve something, and requested his phone back. Instead the suspect produced a handgun to rob him. The first victim attempted to flee the vehicle, but was pulled back in by one of the suspects who then searched his pockets and took his wallet. The second victim, a female and the driver of the car, turned around and saw her friend being robbed so she managed to flee the vehicle and hide behind a nearby parked car. The first victim was able to leave the car, and called his friend, the second victim who was originally driving the car, to come into the lobby.
It turned out that the second victim was on her way to the first victim's home when she noticed two guys, whom she had met two days earlier, walking down the street near Kirkwood. She offered them a ride to their house but told them that she first had to pick up the first victim on the way. The two guys got in her car and came along. Once arrived at the first victim's house, the two suspects made their move. After both victims had fled the vehicle, the suspects drove off with it. The second victim attempted to chase them down, but found the car abandoned not far away.
We're happy to find no cases of burglary for year-to-date in the MPSA service area. The crime map for January does show a burglary on 4th Street, but we found this to be in error when we examined the police report, booking record, and court case for the suspect in the case (we share that report as a "Other Incidents" below).
Burglary prevention remains the top priority for the neighborhood patrol. If there's anything worse than having criminals on the streets in front of our homes, it would be having criminals inside our homes. Home burglaries can be traumatizing in that the victim is left feeling quite violated. Our patrol deployment therefore focuses on weekday daytime hours when most of us are at work and the hours when residential burglars normally strike.
#150282853 | 8th & Juniper – On January 28, 2015 a shooting took place on 8th Street between Peachtree and Juniper. The male victim, who had been shot in the back, told police that he had been shot by two black males in a silver BMW. He apparently knew his assailants, and told police their names. Officers summoned an ambulance from Grady, and once the victim was placed onto the stretcher he quit talking to the police. Numerous bystanders witnessed the situation, and pointed police to the spot where the victim was shot. There police recovered a shell casing and a receipt as evidence in the case. AJC's report on the case quoted an APD official explaining that they believed the situation to be drug-related. In the course of the investigation Atlanta Police issued a warrant for one of the individuals in the BMW, Joseph Ojukwa, who was arrested in Clayton County on 2/23/15. He was immediately turned over to the Fulton County jail, where he remains ineligible for bond as of this writing on several charges including Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. There is no word on the status of the other person allegedly involved.
#150250445 | 4th near Chas Allen – Late in the 2am hour on 01/25/2015 a resident was surprised by the sound of someone kicking in his front door and then crashing through his front window. The resident came downstairs, with his firearm drawn, to find a drunken stranger sitting on his sofa cursing and acting in a boisterous manner. The resident also advised police that the accused's "speech was slurred and he kept falling oft the couch." He ordered the intruder to stay on the couch until police arrived. Once the police arrived, the suspect was still "cursing and acting in a boisterous manner." The resident told police at the scene that he had just installed a new front door and new windows, and that the suspect had just inflicted around $4200 in damages. The suspect told the arresting officer that he had been drinking at a local bar, and that he was just looking for a place to sleep. The suspect, Ricardo Mora-Olivares, was arrested on charges of Criminal Damage To Property In The 2nd Degree and Public intoxication. MPSA NOTE: We found this case through the crime map feature at the APD website where it was noted as a burglary. Neither the police report, his booking record, nor the court file on this case notes any charges for burglary. The suspect bonded out from jail two days later.
#150240511 | Piedmont & 4th – During the 3am hour on 1/24/15 an officer on routine patrol observed a suspicious individual looking into cars in the 700 block of Piedmont, and at the same time carrying a large wooden stick about 4-5 feet in length. When the officer stopped to examine the situation more closely and asked if any of the cars belonged to the suspect, he became belligerent toward the officer. First the subject refused to show the officer identification or reveal his name. The subject then poised the stick at the officer as if in batting position, and threatened to "finish" the officer if he stepped any closer. The officer then drew his Taser, and the subject then lowered his stick without letting go of it. Once the subject saw the device's laser aiming at his stomach, he dropped the wooden stick. The subject tensed up as he was being cuffed at that point, yelling obscenities at the officer. The subject went on to say that he was a "sovereign citizen" and that he does not "follow [our] laws!" To the question of his name, the subject first replied "King Mark" and then told the officer upon request to repeat his name, "Mark Conley." He claimed to be part of the "Moorish Federation" and that he would have other members of the federation declare war on the police. The subject kept making statements to the officer to the effect of, his day would come and that he "needed to watch out."
The subject, fully identified as Markzavious Conley, was arrested on charges of Disorderly Conduct #1:Violent Acts toward Persons, False Report to Police, and Possession of Marijuana. He was transported to the Atlanta City Jail. Fulton County records show previous arrests for Cocaine possession and Theft by taking.
#150070050 | Ponce & Piedmont – Shortly after midnight on January 7th, officers were dispatched to 163 Ponce in regards to a person injured in a street fight. The victim told police that a Black male with a white hoodie hit his face against a parking stopper. The suspect fled heading east on Ponce, but police intercepted him without incident at Ponce & Myrtle. Once in police custody, the suspect spontaneously uttered that he hit the victim because "he deserved it for talking about me." The police report in the case further noted that the suspect admitted hitting the victim's head against a parking stopper, and that he wanted the officer to arrest the victim "for talking bad" about him. When officers brought the suspect back to the scene, the victim confirmed that they had the suspect. The report noted that no relationship existed between the two prior to the incident. According to the report, there was considerable blood on the parking stopper. The victim was taken to Grady Hospital, accompanied by police units so they could take pictures of the injuries for evidential purposes. Police charged the suspect, identified as Jashua Plair, with Aggravated Assault and delivered him to the Fulton County jail, where he remains as of this writing with bond set at $25,000. Inquiry into the assailant's background show several bookings into both Fulton and Dekalb jails.
Car break-ins are going strong as ever, and not just in Midtown. Street criminals prowling around count on people leaving laptops, briefcases, cellphones, and the like in their cars. These thieves are very crafty, and many suspects in this category are apprehended by sheer luck. They often grab such items within reach from the window, and they know that many alarms systems will not sound as long as they take from within reach and not open the car door. The stats for Zone 5 indicate that a great many of the victims come from either outlying areas or from out-of-town. Please urge visitors, family, business customers and friends to participate in the Clean Car Campaign simply by removing all items of value from their parked cars.
Suspects named in this report
The notorious fix-your-car scammer, Pedro Soto, has been back out of jail for a month now. Soto became the subject of a police search stemming from a June 2014 incident, when he pulled his car disablement scam on the victim and then allegedly robbed him by claiming to have a gun in his pocket. Once he "fixed" the car, he allegedly directed the victim to a nearby convenience store to buy cigarettes under the threat having a gun in his pocket. The victim reported to police of having been robbed of financial cards, personal identification documents, and $300 in cash during the episode. Once police issued an alert to the community, he was eventually arrested on 7/15/2015 on several charges including Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, and Aggravated Assault. When his case came to trial, the charges were very heavily downgraded from the aforementioned felonies to a single misdemeanor charge of Theft By Deception. Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams sentenced him to time already served in jail. He was released back into the community on 2/10/2015.
Since at least 2010 we have been receiving reports about people who have been victimized by this vehicle disablement scam as they shopped at area businesses. Local media outlets have run numerous stories over the years about the fix-your-car scams in our area, and he was arrested on some of those occasions. He crawls underneath the vehicle to disconnect a cable in the engine area in order to disable the victim's vehicle. When the victim is unable to start the vehicle upon return, this guy simply appears and offers to "fix" the vehicle for some cash. He seems to target high clearance vehicles, such as SUV's. Soto also goes by numerous aliases, including Orlando Hernandez and Roberto Aguilar. He is originally from Cuba, hence the description of "island accent" frequently cropping up in suspect descriptions. He has 28 bookings for the Fulton County jail alone for things like Criminal Trespass, various theft offenses, and drug possession. For several years Midtown Tire, one of our community sponsors for the patrol, has regularly been receiving calls for assistance related to this scam, but his latest jail stay coincided perfectly with the longest period without reports of the car repair scam.
If you return to your car and find it disabled:
Some pictures of this individual:
On Friday (12/12/14) a resident in the 5th & Argonne area had two packages stolen from the front porch less than two hours after delivery. The thief was shameless enough to not even notice the home security camera recording him in the act. The video footage shows how he just walked up off the street, peeked into a window, and then walked off with the packages at the front door. The offender is a white male approximately 5'10" to 6′ tall, slender, and at the time was wearing a black skull cap, blue jeans, and was carrying a black backpack. We are committed to de-grinching this neighborhood during the holiday season and need for everybody to watch this video. Anybody with information or insight on who this guy is please let us know as soon as possible. If you see him around please call 911 and reference case #143481713.
Here is the video of the offense taking place:
And some still shots from the video:
Internal notes: File #397
Juniper & 3rd | #143330450 | 11/29/2014
#143330450 – On 11/29/14 during the 5am hour a newspaper deliveryman had his car stolen on the job at Juniper & 3rd. A black male approached him with a knife asking for his vehicle. As the victim was fighting with the suspect a black female jumped into the vehicle and sped off, heading north on Piedmont. The victim could not recall a description of the suspect, but was not injured in the incident.
933 Peachtree Street | #143321793 | 11/28/14
#143321793 – [While this is out of the MPSA service area, we share it because the offender was apprehended immediately afterwards] During the 8pm hour on 11/28/2014 an off-duty officer working an extra job at Taco Mac radioed for assistance in apprehending a robbery suspect. The officer had been flagged down by a witness to the incident pointing at the victim chasing the suspect. The victim chasing the offender led the officer into a parking garage on that block, where he lost sight of the suspect hiding behind some parked cars. Once the subject reappeared the officer drew his sidearm and ordered him to the ground. About that time backup units arrived at location to help place the offender into a police vehicle.
At the same time, a security officer at the location advised that she saw the offender toss a red purse along with a handgun under a parked vehicle, and took the officers to it. There, the officers recovered the victim's red purse along with a semi-automatic handgun loaded with nine rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber.
At that point the officers could speak with the victim. She advised that she was walking along Peachtree Street when the subject came up behind her and put a "hard object" that felt like a knife or gun into her side, and pulled the purse off of her. The offender then started running with her purse and she gave chase. Once the officers apprehended the suspect she confirmed that the found purse was hers. The witness also started chasing until he came across the off-duty officer working nearby.
Atlanta's Finest then hauled this offender, identified as Mark Fitzgerald Pinkins, to the Fulton County jail on charges of Armed Robbery, Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Firearm during Commission of a Crime. Like so many others, this one was by no means new to the police, complete with a long rap sheet and prison history. He remains in the Fulton County jail as of this writing, and will be liable to a very lengthy incarceration under the Criminal Code of Georgia once convicted.
700s Argonne | #143301765 | 11/26/2014
#143301765 – On 11/26/2014 Atlanta Police responded to a strongarm robbery call in the 700 block of Argonne Avenue, where the victim advised that she had given a stranger, described in the report as a black female, a ride from her office at 999 Peachtree. The victim described the offending female as a "homeless" woman often hanging around the block where she works. When the victim left work and returned to her car, the suspect approached her and asked for a ride to Argonne & 6th because her mother lived in that area. Once they arrived at that location the offender then grabbed the victim's hair and demanded her wallet. The victim complied, and then the woman fled heading south on Argonne. The police report describes the suspect as a dark-skinned female wearing gray stretch pants, a gray jacket and a gray hat, and carrying a grey purse.
Myrtle & 9th | #143240013 | 11/19/2014 (Report date 11/20)
#143240013 – Just before midnight on 11/19/14 a neighbor was robbed at gunpoint in the Myrtle & 9th area as he walked home. As he was walking along Myrtle, a dark, older model Ford drove by and then stopped. Suddenly, two black males emerged from the vehicle and demanded the victim's belongings at gunpoint. The victim described the assailants as two black males, one of which had dreadlocks with "some blond in them", and a gold tooth. The other offender had shorter hair. They were both wearing dark clothing. The victim lives on a nearby street, and met the police there.
Location: 300's 7th Street | Incident #143172978 | 11/13/2014
#143172978 - As the victim arrived home around 10:15pm from her dance class, a black male about 6'3" in height driving a maroon hatchback vehicle pulled up and stopped near her vehicle. As the victim was heading from her vehicle to her residence, the offender charged at her from his car and attempted to wrest her purse and duffel bag away from her. At point her neighbor came home, saw that she was in trouble, and charged at the offender. The offender then sprang back into his vehicle, in which another black male was riding, and sped away down nearby Argonne Avenue. The victim lost no property in the incident.
Location: 800's Glendale Terrace | Incident Number: 143170009 | Report Date: 11/12/2014
#143170009 - Around Midnight on 11/12/2014 the two victims was walking along Glendale Terrace, when a black male in all dark clothing approached them from behind. The victims bolted into a nearby apartment building when the offender produced a silver handgun, with one victim dropping his wallet and cellphone while attempting to flee. The suspect gave chase, and cornered the victims in the hallway of the apartment building, and told them to look down. The offender then retrieved the dropped cellphone and wallet, and fled the scene. The victims described the offender as middle-aged black male with short curly hair, but did not see which direction he took once he reached the street. The police report noted that no cameras captured the situation.
900s Chas Allen | #143221641 | 11/18/2014
#143221641 – On November 18, 2014 in the 900 block of Charles Allen Drive called police to report that while she was at home, someone entered her garage to steal two mountain bikes. The offender(s) also gained access to a guestroom above the garage, where they stole a large flatscreen TV.
700s Myrtle | #143240007 | 11/20/2014
#143240007 – Shortly after midnight on 11/20/14 the victim came home in the 700 block of Myrtle Street to find that someone had entered his bedroom through a window and stolen his Playstation 4 gaming system. The offender had stood on a garbage can outside the bedroom to reach the window, which according to the victim would not lock all the way. A roommate was home at the time but did not hear anything given that he was at the other end of the home throughout the night. The report noted that neither the television nor any other item in the bedroom was stolen.
Location: 700s Argonne | Incident #143150871 | Reported 11/11/2014
#143150871 – A gentleman came to the precinct on 11/11/2014 to report a burglary at his daughter's apartment that occurred in May 2014. Among the loot were jewelry, music instruments, stereo equipment, and firearms. The apartment had been ransacked, but it remains unclear why the daughter waited nearly six months to tell her father (who had co-signed the lease), who then filed a report. In probing into this suspicious report, we found that the daughter was arrested by the Atlanta Police Department in August 2012 for Possession of Heroin. She also had a DUI case in Dekalb County in 2010. She clearly had no business with firearms in her apartment to begin with, and we're thinking there could be more to this story.
Piedmont & 4th | #143300239 | 11/26/2014
#143300239 – Two officers investigating prostitution & drug activity in the Piedmont & 4th area encountered Mr. Alfonso LOWE, and found that he had a "possible warrant" for his arrest. As the officers stepped out of the patrol vehicle to investigate him further, they saw that he was holding an unidentified object in his pocket. As they worked to secure the subject, they realized that he was holding a knife and was attempting to stab himself. The two officers had to deploy their taser several times as the subject continued to spin and stab himself. The officers got the subject to sit down on the curb for a few seconds, but despite the taser prongs still stuck in his body, he then he got up and ran away as he continued stabbing himself. The officers then drew their side arms as they commmanded the subject to drop the knife, to which the subject replied "shoot me." Eventually the offender complied with police commands and was placed into custody. From the scene he was taken to the Grady Hospital detention unit, where he was treated for a total of 21 self-inflicted stab wounds. He was later booked into the Fulton County jail on charges of Reckless Conduct and Obstruction. Our research into this dangerous offender shows history for Aggravated Assault and Robbery. He remains in the Fulton County jail on these charges.
Vagrant activity on the property owned by the Bagiatis family in the 400 block of Ponce has recently escalated into a major magnet for drug activity. Every night up to 20 individuals camp in the storefronts of the 461/463 building (Domino's Pizza, Best Wings, and the Ace Cash Express) and around the freestanding 447 building (Chico & Chang's). The dark area behind Chico & Chang's is also a spot for chronic nuisance loitering and drug activity generated by street people allowed to remain there. The photo gallery accompanying this post attests to vagrant activity – a tent in the rear, litter accumulation, and furniture parts around the property.
Drug activity runs rampant among these offenders, who can often be seen smoking crack on the property day and night. On 9/26/2014 Police arrested Tamiko Castillo and Cecil Smith for possession of crack cocaine on that property. After release from jail they reappeared on that property. The arrest occurred at the tables outside of Chico & Chang's during daytime hours. David Swain was arrested on 10/16/2014 for possession of cocaine, near that location. He had been spending considerable time on the that property in the days leading up to this arrest. Swain has been on our watchlist for quite some time.
Drug dealing is also taking place on this property. People frequently come to the property to buy drugs, and they are clearly are not patronizing any of the establishments there. The typical scenario: the buyer will park at the rear of Chico & Chang's, make contact with one of the street people, and then wait for someone to return to the site. After the transaction the buyer drives off. During that time these buyers never go to the building, let alone buy food.
These offenders present an adverse effect on the surrounding area, ranging from aggressive panhandling to serious criminal activity such as breaking into cars. On 7/23/2014 APD units caught James Avery Booker in the act of entering a vehicle and stealing items from it. In the days leading up to that he had been camping on the 461 property and loitering in the surrounding area. After release from jail he reappeared in the area, and frequented the that property at night. While he has not been seen in several weeks, he has a history of coming and going in the Ponce & Boulevard area. Enoch Prince, aka "Disco", has been obtrusively begging in nearby traffic for years – he often appears on that property. Another individual frequenting this drug nest can be seen begging aggressively in traffic stopped on Ponce (see linked video).
Jackie Sue Hunter, one of the most notable criminals on our watchlist, keeps a high profile on that property. Almost every morning she can be seen at the tables at Chico & Chang's. She was the most visible prostitute on Ponce when MPSA started operations in 2003. She has been criminally active since the 1970s, with the earliest case we have found dating back to a 1976 charge for unlawful manufacture, delivery, distribution, possession, or sale of a noncontrolled substances. In probably her most notable case, she was among three criminals charged in 1980 with Murder and Armed Robbery. Her murder charge is showing on court records as having been dead-docketed, but she was convicted for the armed robbery. Department of Corrections records show that she served five years in prison for that. The main co-defendant in the case, a Gene Saunders, was convicted of both the robbery and murder, and was sentenced to life. A third woman was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and robbery in the case. Since then Jackie has continued quite a life of crime, as reflected by the many cases found for her in Fulton, Dekalb Counties, and Cobb Counties. We have video footage of her engaging in what strongly appear to be drug transactions.
Businesses on the site compound the problem – most notably Domino's and Chico & Chang's. From what we see while conducting observation work across the street, Chico & Chang's does too little to stop the loitering on the property. Street people loiter on the property for extended periods at their outdoor tables and behind the business. Domino's Pizza workers have been observed on several occasions taking pizza outside to the street people loitering and camping outside. We are seeking to exert pressure on these businesses and the property owner to give due consideration to the detrimental effects that this open-air drug activity inflicts on the surrounding community.
We have furnished our documentation to the Atlanta Police Department (excerpt here), and they are proactively working to address the criminal activity and public disorder there. Below we have posted pictures and a video of conditions at that location, along with pictures of the mentioned offenders.
Picture set 1: Scenes from this drug nest:
Picture set 2: Offenders named in this report
Video showing conditions on and around this property.