Crime Report: Car Break-ins, Car Theft

The following report was sent to Virginia-Highland residents by VHCA safety chairman John Wolfinger on Jan. 3.

The following reports are gleaned from the Zone 6 crime stats for weeks 51 and 52 of 2011, with emphasis on our Beat 601, but with news from around the Zone as it applies to us.  Once again, I state that these reports are not meant to scare anyone, but to make you aware and alert as to what happens around us everyday.  

Aggravated Assault  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

There were 9 such reports though from around the Zone in this time period and all involved family members or folks who knew each other.

Auto Theft  -  Vehicles were stolen from Greenwood Avenue, Briarcliff Place, Frederica Street, Virginia Avenue, St. Charles Avenue, Brookridge Drive and from the garage at the Briarcliff Summit on PDL Avenue.  

Auto Theft Recovery  -  No reported findings in Beat 601  

Residential Burglary  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

Around the Zone in this time period entry was made to 5 residences via a kicked-in door.  On Bryan Street, S.E. entry was made via a removed window a/c unit.  

Residential Robbery  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601  

Commercial Burglary  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

Nearby, the L5P Pharmacy on Moreland Avenue was entered via a broken front window and 5 bottles of codeine cough medicine were taken.  At the Hill Street Tavern on Decatur Street at 4:20 a.m. a perp was caught coming out of the shattered door he had broken to gain entry with bottles of booze in hand.  He was taken to Grady complaining of a knee injury. The Bombay Gal store on North Highland Avenue in Inman Park was entered via a smashed front glass door.

Commercial Robbery  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

Yet another coffee shop incident - this time at Drip Coffee Shop at 9 a.m. on Garrett Street, S.E. in Glenwood.  Several males entered with a gun and ordered everyone to "get down" and took laptops, cell phones, etc as well as cash from the business and fled.  Alert patrons quickly called 911 and two arrests were made with recovery of some of the stolen items.  The Dairy Queen on North Avenue in the Old 4th Ward was robbed at gunpoint by two males at 8 p.m. fleeing on foot.  

Larceny From Vehicle  -  Vehicles were entered on St. Charles Avenue, Frederica Street, Bonaventure Avenue (2), North Highland Avenue (4) and a Honda Element had the catalytic converter sawed off on Brookridge Drive.  Five VaHi visitors learned not to leave items in their cars in our neighborhood - five people that have a bad impression of our neighborhood now. All around the Zone in this time period there were 6 GPS systems stolen, 16 laptops taken, 6 I-Pods swiped, 4 I-Pads taken, one license plate unbolted, one box of ammo taken (probably to be used in a stolen firearm), the one case of a sawed-off catalytic converter, and on Manigault Street, S.E. in Reynoldstown - all 4 tires/rims were unbolted and taken.  

Larceny Other  -  A club patron at an unnamed PDL Avenue establishment was pickpocketed, but confronted possible suspects outside and two arrests were made.  At the Bank of America on PDL Avenue, a careless customer left two cell phones on the counter and they were stolen.  Keep those phones in your pocket - they are not a status symbol anymore that have to be shown to the world.  And on Eden Avenue, S.E. in Ormewood a Nativity scene was stolen from a front yard - it seems to happen every year somewhere.  

Pedestrian Robbery  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

But on Colquitt Avenue in Inman Park at 11:00 p.m. 4 pedestrians were approached by two males who asked to use a cell phone, and then robbed them at gunpoint of the phones and wallets.