Decatur Police Alert: Armed Robbery of Three Women in Oakhurst Park Yesterday Afternoon
Decatur Metro | July 3, 2013From Deputy Police Chief Keith Lee…
On July 2, 2013 at approximately 5:27 pm, there was an armed robbery of three women in Oakhurst Park. The victims were in the playground area and initially observed the suspects, described as three black males in their mid to late teens, sitting on a nearby wall.
One suspect then approached the victims and went through a blanket on the ground and took a cell phone belonging to one of the victims and fled on foot toward Third Avenue. A male witness pursued the suspect but returned back to the playground area.
A second suspect tried to talk to one of the victims and was ignored. He then began going through a stroller bag belonging to another victim. It was reported that keys for one of the victims’ vehicle were taken from the stroller bag and subsequently a maroon Honda CRV was stolen from the parking area on Third Avenue.
The third suspect approached one of the victims, pulled out a small handgun and fired one shot, described as a pop, into the air and demanded her iPhone. She refused and he pointed the gun at her and tried to grab the phone. She retained her phone and verbally refused to relinquish the phone. The remaining two suspects then fled on foot toward Third Avenue where another witness reported seeing the suspects enter a newer model red Ford Explorer and a maroon SUV and flee toward East Lake Drive.
As part of the investigation, it was determined that a Ford Explorer matching the description of the one driven by the suspects had been stolen from an Edgewood neighborhood earlier in the day. Decatur Police have recovered evidence from the scene and are working with Atlanta Police and DeKalb Police on what appear to be related cases. For the past several weeks, Decatur Police have used overtime assignments and reassigned staff to address increased criminal activity in the area. Those efforts will continue and be on-going. Please report any non-emergency suspicious activity to the Decatur Police at 404-373-6551 or in the case of an immediate emergency dial 9-1-1.