Decatur Police Alert: Sycamore Drive Carjacking Overnight; Likely Unrelated to Other Recent Incidents

56 thoughts on “Decatur Police Alert: Sycamore Drive Carjacking Overnight; Likely Unrelated to Other Recent Incidents”

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2. seriously…who cares if not related …still a major crime

   1. No question. And in any case, it is related in the sense that it is an armed robbery, though it may (or may not be) committed by a different group. This is quite a crime wave we have here. I’m not the type to panic about much of anything, but I find myself locking all the doors and setting the alarm, even when I’m home.

      Somehow, the risk calculus for these criminals needs to change. I can’t hep but wonder how many of these violent crimes are linked to the drug war and would not take place if drugs were legal and cheap.

      1. You complete me.

         1. ” I can’t hep but wonder how many of these violent crimes are linked to the drug war and would not take place if drugs were legal and cheap.” — You know how much it gets on my nerves to agree with either one of you two >:-) We’re a whole generation into the war on drugs now, and we’re reaping what we’ve sown.

4. In a way, it’s even scarier if unrelated–if it suggests a trend, not just one group of bad actors. And the solution is more complex.

   1. Exactly. Unrelated means there are more people doing this, sothe problem is far worse.

6. If the victim had been going somewhere other than Decatur, the crime would have happened there. That’s one reason it would seem to be unrelated.

   1. That’s what, at least for me, makes it scarier – that the gentleman in the white BMW was chosen as, well… prey and stalked for a long while before they started the attack. (Sorry for borrowing lingo from the animal kingdom…. )

8. This will sound like a silly question but I’m wondering: do you think you are less likely to get car-jacked if you are driving a car with a standard transmission?

   1. Not likely the perps are going to know that, unless you’re terrible at handling a stick. I do recall occasionally seeing reports of aborted carjackings for that reason, but the perps aren’t going to find that out until they get in the car, and then they may be so p….ed that they take it out on the victim.

   2. I think they are less likely to follow through if they discover you have a manual. But judging by the difficulty I just had finding a new car I liked with a manual, there are only about 25 of us in the whole Southeast.

      1. I am also one of the 25 — haven’t had an automatic in years. Manuals are so rare now that even cars that absolutely should be manual transmission only, like the motorsport versions of Audis and BMWs, are largely automatics.

         1. I read recently that manuals account for just over 7% of new car sales. I love my manual tranny and will miss them when they are obsolesced.

            1. I would have one in a heartbeat if I did not have the commute that i do. So much better in every way, in my opinion.

               1. I don’t know, STG. I learned on a clutch in high school and still managed to drive like an idiot.

            2. They are not obsolete and never wil be. People are just too lazy to shift and/or too preoccupied with their cell phones.

               1. I drove an automatic loaner for a few days while waiting for the dealer to track down and obtain the 5-speed I was buying. It didn’t take long to understand some of the reasons people drive like such nincompoops these days. (I’d been driving a ’98 5-speed sport sedan since it was new–I didn’t know from all the technology that now comes with new cars.) To start with, an automatic transmission lets you disengage your attention (to a large degree) from the activity of driving, so you can be more easily distracted. Then, there is the unbelievable amount of distraction on the dashboard–the GPS system with sounds & graphics, the sound system display (which offers way more information than the driver needs to be thinking about while the engine is running), the display associated with your phone. You can be worlds away from what you’re actually supposed to be doing (driving the car and paying attention to other drivers and everything else that might be about to happen in your path), without even touching your phone. And most people are touching their phones.
                  I left that experience convinced that not only do all motorized vehicles need a mandatory cell phone signal jammer that engages when the engine is turned on, but if I had my way, they’d outlaw automatic transmissions.
                  I know, I would be considered an Evil Queen. I no longer aspire to the throne, so no worries.

                  1. I think the GPS worry is a bit overstated. Google maps actualy speaks the directions while you drive — there is usually no need to look at the phone, it just tells you where to go. And it does an amazing job of it. And I know that the navigation feature in my car, which I frankly don’t use, will not permit changes to be made while the car is moving. You can only program your destination, etc when stopped.

                     Hands-free phone technology is also amazing. I rarely speak on the phone while driving, but I don’t need to even touch my phone to answer or place a call. It’s a click of a button with my thumb on the steering wheel, the phone never leaves my pocket.

                     1. In the car I drove, the navigation display changed spontaneously while I was driving, with no input from me, as my location changed. I found it quiet distracting and finally (while parked) figured out how to turn it off.

                        Hands-free phone technology is indeed amazing but IMO it has no place in a motorized vehicle when the engine is running. It’s not your hands that are challenged by multi-tasking, it’s your brain. Everybody thinks they are better at it than they are. I remain convinced that 99.9999999% of conversations occurring via cell phone while at least one party is driving a car are NOT more important than the safety of that driver, their passenger(s), and everybody else on the road in their vicinity.

                        1. Do you perceive a distinction between a hands-free phone conversation and a conversation with a passenger? I don’t, but maybe I am missing something.

                           1. There is a bit of a distinction. Apparently, talking on a cell phone engages a different part of your brain, the part that visualizes the person you are talking to. Talking on the phone, whether it is in the car or at home fires up more neurons and adds a different level of distraction. If you are in the car and talking to a person you can glance over at them, which satisfies that portion of your brain. Also the passenger in the car can see what the driver sees and can be quiet when the driver needs to concentrate.

                           2. I saw a study that showed that hands-free phone use was actually worse than handheld, and both were more distracting than carrying on a conversation with a passenger. But I’m sure it’s fairly dependent on the individual. I have pretty much given up using the phone at all while driving; the horrible driving behavior in this city is enough to deal with without adding other stress.

               2. Yeah, but you have to admit Atlanta is a pretty terrible place to drive a manual. I drove one until about ten years ago and don’t miss at all.

                  1. I have lived here for 24 years and driven a 5-speed the entire time, including interludes of several years each when I commuted Buckead/Tucker, Buckhead/Sandy Springs, Decatur/Chamblee and Decatur/Alpharetta. I bought a car last month and spent considerable extra time and aggravation getting the model I wanted with a 5-speed. When I drive a car with automatic transmission, it feels like there’s nothing to do.

                     1. When I last drove a stick I was commuting from Lawrenceville to Alpharetta. I’m sure Decatur to Alpharetta is equally bad, if not worse. You’re more of a trooper than I am if you don’t mind the manual during that trek.

                     2. I had that same “nothing to do” feeling when I got my first automatic–a minivan. One of the motivators for drivers to use their smartphones in vehicles is definitely the boredom and frustration of stop and go traffic. When stuck, people try to do errands, check navigation for alternate routes, call home to announce they’re late, etc. If they were preoccupied instead with downshifting and upshifting, they would be less likely to think of the smartphone and would be unable to use it easily with their one free hand. Manual transmissions may be good prevention for phone use while driving. I dread the idea of teaching adolescents to use a clutch but it may be worth it….

                        1. I am absolutely convinced this is the case.
                           Granted, the only thing harder than learning to use a clutch is teaching someone — especially one’s own offspring — to do it. But take a deep breath and go for it! I believe in young people (all people, really) knowing how to do as many different practical things as possible because you never know when somebody’s life might depend on it. Like, what if you were out hiking and your friend got seriously injured and couldn’t be moved, and you had to hike out and fetch help. You make it back to where you parked but still can’t get a cell phone signal until you get over the next ridge and your friend’s vehicle has a stick shift and you’ve never driven one before….

                           1. And an even more important reason: it’s way more fun to drive!

                           2. Well, there’s that, too. But I’m trying to accept that what I think is fun in not necessarily what these younger generations think is fun!

                           3. Best place to teach someone to use a manual transmission is the huge parking lot across from the police station at Stone Mountain Park. Once they get the hang of it, the road around the mountain is one way and usually pretty empty. Good for practical experience with hills, dips, and turns without oncoming traffic.

                        2. It’s an interesting point you make. But whether it cuts down on texting or not, I think it’s a good idea to learn to drive a manual because you never know when you may be in a situation where it would be really helpful to be able to do so. Say you’re a passenger in a car with a MT and the driver takes ill or is injured somehow. No choice but to leave it or call someone else to drive it.

                           (You beat me to this comment, STG, but I decided to leave it anyway).

10. Not sure what is going on in Decatur right now, but I have been listening to major police &/or fire sirens for the past 20 minutes. Hoping nothing really horrible has happened.

    1. Are you near downtown? There was a medical emergency near E. Ponce and Candler just a little bit ago.

12. Here’s an idea don’t give people directions, especially at 330 am.

    Blow through the light if you have to. It usually gets cops attention.

    In the age of GPS people don’t need directions anymore. It’s an antiquated ploy to get your attention probably for nefarious reasons.

    1. Agreed. I simply don’t give directions to motorists anymore. I’m sorry, but Google Maps and other stuff is readily available, even on cheap phones.

14. Right thing to do in this case? Given that it was truly the middle of the night and the roads were probably deserted, the victim probably shouldn’t have stopped, right? (Not that I blame him, the horn blaring behind me might have made me think there was something wrong with my car.) He probably should have driven straight to the police station, right? But like me, he might not have remembered its temporary location during construction.

16. Just got my Dekalb County jury summons for August. Sincerely hoping the timing works out so I can be on their jury.

18. Wonder if this is gang related since there is reference to blue bandana ?

20. Never been a concealed carry guy but I’m starting to have second thoughts… It’s ok to be a good samaratin and help out, but be aware of your surroundings.

    1. Concealed carry in your car is not legal unless you have a concealed carry permit. The good news is that open carry in your car or having it in the glove box is legal and no permit is required.

       1. Good point and just verified from the NRA-ILA site. In Georgia, no CC license need to carry a loaded firearm in the glove box.

          “Exceptions: No license is required:

          3. To transport a loaded firearm in a private motor vehicle, provided it is carried in an open manner fully exposed to view, or is in the vehicle’s glove compartment, console, or similar compartment.”

          1. I would not recommend carrying a weapon for self defense without the carry permit. It is true that you can transport a firearm in the car in GA without a permit, in the unlikely event that you did feel the need to use the weapon, you’re going to have just more explaining to do, over and above what you would need to explain if you used the weapon. I’m in no way saying that you would be judged in the wrong automatically, but it just strikes me as unwise.

             If anyone does feel the need to obtain a carry permit, I would also strongly urge that individual to take a weekend class that would familiarize you with the laws and give you some basic safety instruction.

             I’ll also note that in many of crimes that I have heard of lately, it is unclear that simply having a weapon would have been a great advantage. If you have someone approach you and they already have a gun drawn, the odds are probably not very well in your favor. In this case, maybe, maybe not. Certainly the person is out a car but they are still walking around.

22. If I was afraid that the the car behind me was suspicious and followed me all the way from Toco Hills to Sycamore at 3:30 am, I’d have driven straight to a police station and not stopped for them at all. It sounds like this isn’t necessarily a Decatur proper thing. They just happened to try to do what they wanted to do in a somewhat quiet area.

24. What time do the bars close in Toco Hills? If the victim was followed leaving a bar….the perps are probably on video…

26. In the descriptions, everyone is described as African-American. How is it possible that we know they are all Americans. I’m offended by this generalization.

28. I’d love to drive to a police station, but I seriously don’t know where any of the precincts are. I could find Avondale City Hall/ Police, the DeKalb jail, or a fire station. That’s it. How about just driving to a well-lit open business, like QT? I know the one by N DeKalb mall often has a police officer parked in the lot. Any other suggestions? I think it’s time that I had a plan, just in case.

    1. Yeah, Decatur PD is a little hard to find right now with their temporary location. A fire station would be good, but not at 3:30 AM b/c the firefighters are likely asleep. Driving to a well lighted location with people around is a good alternative.

    2. There is a Dekalb Police station at Candler and Glenwood. Not super close to Decatur but not too far.

30. Not related, but illustrative..
    http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/carjacking-suspect-slowed-by-baggy-pants-police-sa/nYd6K/

    1. Well, I guess that’s another good reason not to ban saggy pants!

32. If Decatur already dials up DeKalb PD for major incidents why not get the county officers cross sworn and have the city included in one or two of their police beats. The city would need an adjustment to their current agreement with the county but it seems like a simple way to increase police patrols.

34. This crime in Decatur needs to stop!!! We need to get back to the more serious issues in this city, like the Hola! sign and Walmart proposal!!!

    1. WM isn’t in Decatur!!!

36. Earlier this summer, the alarm on our house went off. The police were dispatched. I live south of Decatur in Belvedere Park. The officer and I chatted for a while and he said they were bracing for a high crime summer. He said they were all feeling the severity of the crimes had been escalating. Unfortunately, I guess he was right on the money.

    1. Did he speculate why?

       1. Just that the crimes they had been seeing for May were worse than in years past. And of course, that a lot of good cops were leaving because no money for raises and DeKalb County is a mess.

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