Suspects Jump From Bushes, Rob Victim At Gunpoint: Blotter

Editor's note: the following incidents were taken from the Sandy Springs Police Department's Weekly Wrap Up compiled by Capt. Steve Rose, which contains some of the incidents that occurred Nov. 11-14:

First this:

I’m hoping that as avid or slightly interested readers, you’ll avoid the pitfalls that several of your peers are doomed to experience. To a great extent, mall shopping is giving way to online shopping and shipping. Package thefts will rise so try and arrange for someone to be home on the shipment date or something that will avoid the packing sitting on the doorstep for too long.

There will be attention given to delivery routes and your delivery pros at FedEx, UPS and the USPS will be watching for suspicious cars tailing trucks as they drive their routes. Be on your guard for unsolicited e-mails, especially Secret Santa scams requesting money or sending you a check to deposit, and requiring the balance of what you don’t take to be sent to an address somewhere else.

Remember that the U.S. Marshals, county marshals, sheriff’s deputies, nor anyone else, will be coming to your home to arrest you because you missed jury duty. The IRS will not issue warrants for your outstanding money owed to them. They like the interest and penalties too much to get all that money at one time.

If your grandson calls to say he was in a wreck or other unfortunate event and requests money from you, don’t send it. Verify with your children where their children are. Be suspicious of any computer service willing to fix your computer bugs remotely after you provide a credit card number. Finally, I don’t mean to meddle in your personal affairs, but be careful of that cute chick online who wants to Skype au naturel.

• 1050 Hammond Drive, 30328, 11/11: An 18-year old woman reported that she and her boyfriend were walking from the apartment parking lot to the apartment when a male snatched the phone that she was using her as she talked. He ran to a maroon Toyota Camry and fled. He was described as a black male, approximately 24 years old, wearing a red and black jacket, black pants, and black Nike Air Force One sneakers.
• 7855 Roswell Road, 30350, 11/11: Insurrection reported a robbery just after 11 p.m. Details were not available to me on the RMS yet.
• 66 Northwood Drive, 30342, 11/13: A man reported that around 5 a.m., while walking on Northwood Drive, three males jumped him from behind some shrubbery. They pulled a gun and took his wallet, phone and $100 cash. The victim described the suspects as black males in their 30’s. They demanded no shrubbery (some of you will get that).

Burglary

• 6600 block of Roswell Road, 30328, 11/13 (Abernathy Shoe Repair): Someone used a rock to smash the glass window on the storefront of the business. A cash register and $140 contained were taken. The next-door business said his camera picked up movement, but no image, of a person walking nearby at 4 a.m.

• 21 Cedar Run, 30350, 11/11: The victim reported his 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe was stolen overnight from his apartment complex parking lot. The resident said his keys were taken in a previous burglary.
• 300 block of Mystic Ridge Lane, 30342, 11/11: A 19-year-old woman reported her 2011 gray Range Rover Sport was stolen from her (open) garage. The keys were inside the car.
• 500 block of Sutter’s Point, 30328, 11/11: A man reported that around 10:40 p.m., he observed six or so suspect attempt to steal his neighbor’s car. They got the car running but they were unaware that the car had malfunctioned earlier and had to be towed home. The car simply would not go into park, which is why the six offenders aborted the theft, climbed into a dark purple Acura MDX and fled.
• 100 block Summit Springs Drive 30350 11/12: A 26-year-old woman reported her 2015 Dodge Dart with a Texas tag was stolen overnight.
• Another car theft was reported on 11/12 at 6115 Peachtree Dunwoody Road. The owner said the car was parked in the complex’s parking lot, and was stolen sometime between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The car is a 2007 BMW 550i, silver in color.
• 25 Glenlake Drive, 30328, 11/13: A 28-year-old woman reported her car was stolen from the parking deck sometime between 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. the next day.
• 5500 block of Roswell Road, 30342, 11/13: A 35-year-old woman reported someone entered her private office and took her purse and contents including her driver’s license and debit card. Shortly before the theft, the officer manager said a woman entered and requested to use the restroom. Shortly after, she noticed the same woman just outside the victim’s office. The woman is believed to be the suspect who committed the theft. She was described as a black female, 40’s, black dreads, gray sweater and jeans.
• 500 block of Northridge Road, 30350, 11/14: Just after 4 a.m., cops responded to suspicious activity regarding two men attempting to steal a trailer. The owner of the trailer pointed out where the men were. The two suspects fled when they saw the police car. The officer gave chase but was unable to catch up to the pair. The truck they left behind, a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500, was reported stolen from Decatur. On the truck was a stolen tag. Another stolen tag was found inside the truck, along with bolt cutters, hacksaw, tools and parts.
• 2800 block of Sandalwood Drive, 30350, 11/14: A 47-year-old man reported that he started his car and left it in the lot to warm up (see where I’m going with this?). As he gazed out the window moments later, he bid goodbye to his car being driven off by a man described as a black male. The car is a 2007 gray Volvo. Capt. Steve Rose says: This is a good example of an opportunity theft. The thief most likely had no intentions of stealing cars until he saw it there for the taking. If you are going to start it to warm the car, lock it and use the fob to enter and exit.

Thefts From Vehicles

• 5570 Roswell Road (Lifetime Fitness), 30342, 11/11: Tag
• 6115 PDR (Uncle Julio’s), 30328, 11/11: Items taken after window forced
• 400 block of Summit Springs Drive, 30350, 11/12: Fob and key
• 1155 Mt. Vernon Hwy, 30328, 11/12: Camera
• 8700 block of Roswell Road, 30350, 11/13: Samsung phone and wallet, $400 cash
• 300 block of Quiet Water Lane, 30350 11/13: Power tools valued at $1,250
• 1000 block of Windridge Drive, 30350, 11/13: Nothing taken (unlocked)
• 8700 block of Roswell Road, 30350, 11/13: Cellphone & wallet taken by friend
• 1000 block of Johnson Ferry Road, 30342, 11/13: Nothing taken
• 100 block of Summer Drive, 30350, 11/14: Backpack and contents
• 4535 Roswell Road, 30342, 11/14, New baggage valued at $3,400
• 3700 block of Spring Creek Lane, 30350, 11/14: Apple iPhone 6

Other Things

• 4000 block of Crestwicke Pointe, 30342, 11/11: A door-to-door salesperson selling windows said a white male in his 50’s, driving a silver SUV, drove next to him and told him “If you come to my house, I’ll kill you.” The man then drove away.

Arrests

• GA-400 at MARTA ramp, 30328, 11/11: A speeding car (85 MPH) was stopped and the driver interviewed. The officer found a bud of marijuana under the driver’s seat. The driver was on probation for drug arrests and had a noticeable history of similar arrests.
• GA-400 at MARTA ramp, 30328, 11/11: An officer spotted a car with extremely tinted windows and blue under glow lights. He stopped the car and spoke to the driver about the tint and the restrictions on blue lights on non-law enforcement vehicles. The officer found the driver had a history of felony arrests including, entering auto arrest in Johns Creek last year. Two women in the car were checked, with one coming back with an active warrant from Sandy Springs for failure to appear. She was taken into custody. A K-9 officer was requested and found a small amount of marijuana in a purse on the floorboard. The car’s tint was well below the limit (35 percent). He was cited for the lights and tint violations.
• 5841 Roswell Road, 30328, 11/12: Cops were called to Churchill’s Fine Cigar Shop regarding a disturbance. A 30-year-old man told them that he mistakenly parked his car in front of the cigar shop and walked to a nearby business for 10 minutes. When he returned, a man came out of the cigar shop and began yelling at the complainant. He said the man struck his car with his fists, tried to open the car door, and smacked his fist against the window and the car’s roof. The man was later cited on a copy for disorderly conduct.
• 6300 block of Roswell Road, 30328, 11/12: A patrol officer spotted a man in the parking lot of Hudson Grill at the rear of the adjacent BB&T bank. When the man saw the officer, he immediately turned and briskly walked away (the technical term for this is clue). The officer followed and stopped the man so that he could ask what he was doing. The man said he was looking for a job. The officer found it odd that he was looking for a job on Sunday night at 8 p.m. at a closed bank. The man smelled of marijuana and had an orange full-face winter mask that was in his pants. He was jailed on DOC on the marijuana and grinder found on him, although he was probably looking to do unsavory things if not caught.
• 6317 Roswell Road, 30328, 11/12: Around 1:30, an officer ran a tag on a car and the results indicated the owner of the car was wanted for simple assault on a DeKalb County warrant. The driver matched the photo of the owner and the car was pulled over. The man was arrested on the outstanding warrant.
• Two people were arrested, one after a tag check revealed the owner of the car was wanted for an
  assault in DeKalb County since January. In a separate incident, officers following up on a previous incident checked the name and date of birth of one of the persons involved, and found she was wanted in Cobb County for a probation violation. When someone violates probation, fails to go to court, or has an existing criminal warrant, the information goes on the car registration associated with that person. Officers routinely check tags. The majority of those arrested on outstanding warrants are nabbed after a tag check.

Image via Sandy Springs Police Department