Man Choked After Getting Counterfeit Money For Computer Sale

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Detectives with the Sandy Springs Police Department are investigating an alleged attack on a man who, after learning he received counterfeit money for an online transaction, was choked out by the man on the other end of the deal.

Officers with the agency were dispatched around 3:41 p.m. Dec. 21 to Publix at 1100 Hammond Drive. They met with the victim, who recounted the chain of events to authorities.

The Snellville resident said he posted an advertisement on Offer Up, a website used by residents to buy and sell various items, to sell his Apple iMac for $460, according to an incident report released by the Sandy Springs Police Department.

Just after midnight on Dec. 21, the seller said he got a message from a man identifying himself as Mike Thomas.

According to the report, Thomas told the seller he worked in the Dunwoody area and would like to meet up at Publix on Hammond Drive to close the deal.

Both parties met face to face and the victim handed over the computer to Thomas, who paid for the device in cash.

Thomas got into a black, older-model four door Mercedes driven by another male wearing a beige-colored hooded sweatshirt and left the parking lot.

When the victim "looked at the money that he was handed, he noticed that four $100 bills that Mr. Thomas handed him were counterfeit," the report said.

At that point, the seller called the buyer and "advised him that he forgot to give him a piece to the computer," according to the report.

Thomas returned to the parking lot and asked what pieces the seller was referring to. The male victim "attempted to reach inside the back seat of the Mercedes and get his computer," the report notes.

However, Thomas grabbed the man by the neck and began to choke him, the victim told police.

The suspected attacker and his driver peeled out of the parking lot, and was possibly seen getting onto the northbound entrance ramp of S.R. 400.

The report notes the alleged suspect is described as a black male between 30 and 35 years old and about 6 feet tall. He had a full beard, and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a baseball cap with the letters "TMT" on the front.

Police continue to investigate the alleged attack, and anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at at 404-577-8477. You can also text CRIMES to 274637.

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