Crime reports
The following reports are gleaned from our Zone 6 crime stats for the weeks of 32 and 33 of 2010, with emphasis on our VaHi beat # 603, but with news from around the Zone as it applies to us. Zone 6 is experiencing a drop in criminal activity, thanx to the diligent folks working 24/7 to protect us – but this is no reason to drop your guard in protecting yourself, your property, friends, neighbors and family. When I cite facts for the whole Zone – remember that Zone 6 is huge – bordered on the north by I-85, on the east by the city limits (going into all parts of the city in DeKalb County), on the west by the BeltLine area, and going southward to the area around the Starlight Drive-in Theater on Moreland Avenue. Learn from these reports – granted, we are in a big city, and we can’t avoid all situations – but there are many that we can avoid too.
Auto Theft – Vehicles were stolen from Park Drive and Virginia Circle here – around the Zone three were 4 scooters stolen, some of them chained and locked.
Residential Burglary – none on our beat – but around the Zone in this time period, entry was made to residences via a kicked-in door eight times.
Larceny From Auto – Vehicles were entered on Rosedale Road, PDL Place, Virginia Avenue, Drewry Street, North Highland Avenue (2), and St. Charles Avenue. of these 7 reported incidents, 5 of the vehicle owners were VaHi residents, and two of these involved vehicles that were behind the owner’s houses. Just because you have off-street parking does not guarantee that you cannot be a victim (unfortunately). The best defense here is to keep your car cleaned out whenever and where-ever you park at any time of the day! In this time period all around the Zone, there were 9 PPS systems taken, two more handguns added to the arsenal on the street and one license plate taken off (not much you can do in this case – other than keep checking behind your car to make sure you still have a plate). Across Briarcliff Road in Beat # 605, there were three different vehicles hat had their hubcaps stolen in one nite.
Larceny Other – Another lawn care crew lost their locked equipment from the back of their truck in Morningside, and a similar theft involved a trailer and lawn care equipment from Amsterdam Avenue. Warn you lawn care guys!! A cell phone was taken from an un-named North Highland Avenue business. Our PDL Avenue Publix and Kroger stores reported 5 shoplifters, including a guy who ate a box of chicken and hid the box of bones (evidently not hidden well enough), a guy who stole once and got away, so came back in for more and got caught the 2nd time, and a woman in a power wheelchair. The Edgewood Target caught 4 non-paying visitors. Still lots of a/c thefts all over the Zone – copper is evidently still worth enough to go to all this work.
Commercial Robbery – the SunTrust branch in the PDL Publix store was robbed at 11:40 in the morning. The story of the Ansley Bank of America robbery on 8/19 is at http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/bank-near-ansley-mall-596046.html
Pedestrian Robbery – At 10:00 p.m. on Briarcliff Place, a female Virginia Avenue resident (evidently by herself) was grabbed from behind and lost her laptop and purse with the perp jumping into a car. A witness driving by followed the get-away vehicle, getting the tag # (thank you!). APD contacted the vehicle’s owner who said he had loaned it to a friend – the car was found later abandoned in Chamblee.
There were two such incidents in Inman Park in this time period – one of Colquitt Avenue at 10:15 p.m. with a male victim robbed at gunpoint. At Washita and Euclid Avenues at 11:45 p.m. two victims were robbed with a shotgun pointed at them. A witness in a car was slowing down to stop when the perp aimed the shotgun at his car, and shattered the rear window with a blast as the car sped away
Stay alert and keep you car cleaned out when parked!!
John