Tough Victim Can't Stop Decatur Robbery

DECATUR, GA -- A Decatur woman stood up to a suspect trying to break into her neighbor’s home early Sunday, but ended up getting robbed herself in the process.

Police say they were called to the 400 block of Willow Lane, in the Medlock subdivision, at about 12:02 a.m. on Sunday.

The victim told them she had just gotten home from work when she saw the suspect trying to open her neighbor’s patio door.

When she asked the suspect who he was and what he was doing, the suspect “brandished a large wrench and attempted to make it appear as if it were a handgun and demanded money.”

The response?

“The victim cursed and stated she did not have any money,” according to a news release from Decatur Police.

The suspect responded by tackling the woman and, as they struggled on the ground, rummaging through her pockets, taking her cellphone. Her wallet fell out, and he took that too, removing the cash.

The victim also told police the suspect hit her in the legs with the wrench while they were fighting, “but no injury was reported.”

The suspect ran away across Church Street near Glenlake Park.

Police say that while it’s not common to walk up on a crime taking place, people should think first before acting.

“It is shocking and angering and can make you want to confront, challenge, photograph or record the suspects,” Decatur Police Lt. Jennifer S. Ross said in the news release. “However, no amount of money, material items or photo/video evidence is worth your well-being or life.”

She noted, though, that the advice isn’t meant to be judgmental in this case.

“The truth is, we all say what we would have done, but nobody knows how they will react when confronted with a potentially violent situation,” Ross said.