Crime Report: Snatch and Grabs Reported Across Police Zone 6

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

The following reports are gleaned from our Zone 6 crime stats for the 2012 weeks of 22, 23, 24 and 25,  Note that this is a month's worth of crime, instead of the usual 2 weeks of reports.  Again, I state these reports are not meant to scare anyone, but to make you aware of what happens around us everyday and to raise your level of alertness.  The emphasis is on our VaHi Beat 601, but with reports from around the Zone as they affect us.

Aggravated Assault  -  There was a domestic incident at a North Highland Avenue apartment.

Auto Theft  -  Vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam Avenue, Greenwood Avenue (2), Barnett Street, and PDL Avenue

Auto Theft Recovery  -  No reported recoveries in Beat 601

Residential Burglary  -  A Rosedale Road residence was broken into via a brick thrown thru the living room window at 2:25 a.m. - the thief reached in and grabbed a laptop from a desktop and fled.

Commercial Burglary -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

Residential Robbery  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601

Commercial Robbery  -  No reported incidents in Beat 601.  Closeby, though, the Burger King on North Avenue was robbed at gunpoint and the perp fled on foot.

Larceny From Vehicle  -  Vehicles were entered on Greenwood Avenue (3), North Highland Avenue (2), Maiden Lane (3 and all at the same time period), PDL Avenue (2) and catalytic converters were sawed off on Maryland Avenue and Highland View (2).

Yet another unwatched landscaper's truck had tools taken on Springdale Road in Druid Hills.  Please warn your lawncare guys of this danger.

Larceny Other  -  A cell phone was taken from a Hand in Hand employee while she was at work.  A flat screen tv was stolen from a Briarcliff Summit apartment after the door was left open by exterminators, and the Rosemont 310 store on North Highland Avenue reported a shoplifting incident.

Nearby, $15,000 worth of checks and money orders were stolen from the rent drop box at CityScape apartments on North Avenue.

Now - the big problem all over Zone 6 (and elsewhere too), snatch and grabs from unsuspecting and unalert victims.  Amazingly enough, there were only two such reported VaHi incidents in this 4 week period where one MJQ Club patron lost an unwatched purse off the bar and another lost a phone.  But elsewhere in the Zone in this 4 week time period these thefts were rampant.  At a North Highland Avenue Inman Park coffee shop a laptop, I-pad and I-phone were snatched from a table.  A Righteous Room patron lost an I-phone from a table.  In the Old 4th Ward Park a macbook, I-phone and purse were snatched.  A cell phone was snatched from a Boulevard BP station gas pumper  (http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/18700025/police-say-phone-thefts-on-the-rise )  A Ralph McGill pedestrian lost a phone.  A phone was stolen from an outside table at El Azteca on PDL Avenue.  Perps asked to use a phone at Moreland and Austin Avenues and fled on foot.  A phone was stolen from a table at Fritti on North Highland Avenue.  A phone was taken from a table at Willie's Mexican Grill at the Edgewood Retail District.  A Colquitt Avenue pedestrian in Inman Park lost a cell phone.  A purse was stolen from the bar at the Yacht Club in L5P.  Laptops were snatched from the Moreland Avenue Starbux in two different incidents.   A laptop was snatched from a table at the Poncey Highland San Francisco Coffee shop.  A phone was snatched from a pedestrian at a bus stop at Boulevard and Ralph McGill.  A phone was snatched from a table at Fox Brothers BBQ on DeKalb Avenue.  A phone was snatched from a table at the Flat Iron restaurant in East Atlanta Village - the phone was in a case that also had the victim's debit card and driver's license.  I urge all servers and employees at our many, many VaHi bars and restaurants to watch for patrons leaving their phones, laptops, purses, etc on their table or on the bar to kindly ask them to put those items out of sight in a pocket or sit on them.  Cell phones and laptops are NOT status items anymore and do not have to be left out to impress other folks.

Pedestrian Robbery  -  There were two of these frightening incidents here in Beat 601 in this time period.  On 5/30 at 2 a.m. a lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint by two males on North Highland Avenue north of Virginia Avenue.  No injuries reported.  Then on 6/3  another lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint near Glen Arden at 11:30 p.m. with no injuries reported.  Please, please, if you have been having a few drinks at one of our many bars/restaurants and decide to walk home solo - DO NOT!!!  Any of our responsible hospitality establishments will gladly see that you get some safe way home - this is why cabs are stationed here every nite.

Elsewhere and nearby in the Zone - there were several other such incidents.  On 6/4 at 12:30 a.m. a lone male pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint on North Highland Avenue south of PDL Avenue.  On 6/6 at 6:30 p.m. two joggers were robbed at gunpoint on a Freedom Park path.  On 6/7 on Highland Avenue at Jackson Street a lone female was robbed at gunpoint.  In Glenwood Park on Garrett Street a lone female pedestrian was robbed at gunpoint at 2:15 p.m.