ICYMI: Decatur Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect

Decatur police have arrested a young man they suspect in taking part in an armed robbery on the evening of March 14.

Sgt. Jennifer Ross said that the 16-year-old from DeKalb County has been charged with armed robbery and criminal attempt to commit theft by taking of a motor vehicle.

According to Ross, a man returned to the corner of Church Street and Commerce Drive to get into his parked 1994 Jeep Cherokee at approximately 11 p.m. on March 4, only to discover that the lock and ignition had been damaged.

Unable to start the vehicle, he walked to a restaurant on East Court Square. According to Ross, a black teenager approached the visibly shaken man outside the restaurant and asked if he was okay. The man returned to the vehicle at approximately 11:25 p.m. and saw a black male in the driver’s seat and two more black males hiding in nearby bushes.

Ross said the victim ordered the men to leave his car alone, and tried to take a picture of them on his cell phone as he walked away. As he took out the phone, one of the suspects rushed him with a gun drawn and demanded the cell phone. The victim surrendered the phone and the suspects fled towards Clairemont Avenue.

The victim told police that the suspects were teenagers wearing dark clothes, though one of the suspects was wearing something red. One of the suspects was shorter than the other two, he said. The black teenager who asked if the victim was okay when he was outside the restaurant was among the suspects, the victim said.

If you have any information about this armed robbery, please contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), texting “CSA Tip” to CRIMES (274637), or by submitting a tip online. All tips can be made anonymously.