From DPD Sgt. Jennifer Ross…
On 08/25/14 at approximately 1:33 am, Decatur Police responded to an armed robbery that occurred in the area of Sycamore Place and East Howard Avenue at approximately 1:15 am. The victim reported he was walking on Sycamore Place when he observed a vehicle coming up behind him very slowly. The victim was suspicious of the behavior and illuminated the light on his cell phone as a deterrent. Two suspects then exited the rear passenger doors of the vehicle and approached the victim. One suspect pointed a shiny black handgun that appeared to be fake and stated “Give me your phone and cash”. The second suspect stood to the side of the victim. The victim handed over his cell phone and as he was retrieving his money, both suspects ran back to the vehicle and fled the area without taking the money. A third suspect driving the vehicle was never seen. The victim described the suspects and vehicle as follows:
Vehicle: Older model, dark Jeep Cherokee with boxy body style.
Suspect #1: Black male, 16-20 years old, approximately 5’10”, slender build, dark complexion, clean shaven, wearing a dark ball cap and blue jeans.
Suspect #2: Black male, 16-20 years old, approximately 6’2”, slender build, medium complexion, short afro hairstyle, wearing jeans.
I like the headline on the Decatur Patch: “Armed Robbers Grab Phone, Forget Cash”. Armed robbers are usually not the brightest bulbs. If they were brighter, they’d find either less dangerous, or more lucrative, ways to steal. I’m guessing these robbers are at least 18 years old since the 14-17 year olds usually become less active once school opens.
I’m not a law enforcement expert, but couldn’t the DPD set up a sting by walking a plainclothes officer up and down the College Avenue after midnight holding a phone and wait for the mugging attempt to take place. This is an obvious pattern, and the perpetrators are very deliberate, so the officer not be in harms way if the backup was right there.
They wouldn’t be accused of profiling either.
+1
Sounds like a recipe for a cop or a perp to get shot. Perp draws a gun, and cop with a concealed weapon does the same. Dangerous duty for the DPD. I for one would not want to be the bait.
That is kinda the risk in all law enforcement isnt’t it? Cops don’t sign up with the attitude “let the civilians be victims of random violent crime because it’s better they get shot then I put myself in harm’s way.”
Simply let the crime go down, then the backup stops the vehicle down the road.
Police feel free to patrol more often on Commerce Dr, East Howard Ave, College Ave, Sycamore St, Sycamore Pl, and Sycamore Dr. Recently there does seem to be a pattern of late night crime near College Ave.
Older model, dark Jeep Cherokee with boxy body style = Late 80’s YJ
“They wouldn’t be accused of profiling either.”
Entrapment would then be the accusation.
As loose as the courts have been defining entrapment, that argument would go nowhere.
Can’t they trace the thieves through the cell phone?
The phone has to have a locator feature, I think. That’s mostly newer model iPhones, right? My android phone has a finder app but the phone has to be powered on with a charged battery.
The original thieves would no longer have it anyway. They would have long since “wholesaled” it to a middleman, who knows enough about phones to restore it to oem condition and remove any tracking software.