Virginia-Highland Crime Report

The following report was complied by John Wolfinger, public safety chair of the Virginia-Highland Civic Association.

The following reports are gleaned from the Zone 6 crime stats for the weeks of 34 and 35 of 2011, with emphasis on our VaHi Beat 603, but with news from around the Zone as it affects us.

Aggravated Assault  -  No reported incidents in Beat 603 

Auto Theft  -  A vehicle was stolen from Amsterdam Avenue (actually this was in Beat 602, as it was on the north side of the street). 

Auto Theft Recovery  -  No reported recoveries in Beat 603 

Residential Burglary  -  An apartment at the Virginia Highland apartments on Virginia Avenue was entered via a kicked-in front door.  A flat-screen tv and a laptop were taken - I wonder if these items were visible through a window? Throughout Zone 6 in this time period 8 residences were entered via kicked-in doors. 

Commercial Burglary  -  The storage facility on Kanuga Street reported 7 units being broken into.The Paideia School on South PDL Avenue had a storage garage broken into losing 3 riding lawnmowers and a golf cart. 

Larceny From Vehicle  -  Vehicles were broken into on PDL Avenue, Amsterdam Walk, Virginia Avenue, and Maiden Lane.  I have a feeling that there are many vehicle break-ins on Maiden Lane that are never reported due to the continual piles of glass on this street.All around the Zone in this time period there were 10 laptops stolen, 7 I-pods, 4 I-pads, 8 GPS systems taken, 2 more handguns added to the arsenal on the streets, one license plate unbolted, one muffler sawed off and once again - one report of nothing taken.

Larceny Other  -  A social security check was stolen from a North Highland Avenue mailbox (use direct deposit for such checks).  A PDL Place pedestrian (with earphones in) had her cell phone snatched at 8:40 p.m.  A similar theft happened at midnite on Euclid Avenue in L5P.  These visible cell phones are a magnet for thieves - don't walk and talk and keep the phones in your pocket while walking or running. Got a trailer and wanna keep it?  Hide it when not in use!!  In this time period throughout the Zone, trailers were stolen from Page Avenue, N.E., Clifton Road, N.E., Meridian Street, S.E. and Moreland Avenue, S.E. - these thefts are in addition to two reports from here on Monroe Drive and Highland View a few weeks ago.  The Moreland Avenue theft was reported to have been seen taken away by a tow truck.The Edgewood Target store caught  5 shoplifters, and our PDL Avenue Kroger and Publix stores caught 3 non-payers. Also A/C units continue to be stolen, especially from unoccupied buildings. 

Pedestrian Robbery  -  Two incidents here in VaHi.  On Barnett Street on 8/14 at 5 a.m. 4 pedestrians were robbed at gunpoint by 2 male perps who then fled in a car.  On North Highland Avenue, just north of the CVS store, at around 11:30 or so (the 911 report was not made til much later) two pedestrians were robbed at gunpoint by two male perps who fled on foot.  The reported reason for the delayed call was that both victims lost their cell phones in the robbery.