Police Arrest Two In String Of Auto Break-Ins

Atlanta police said Tuesday 20 cars at 1083 Euclid Ave. in Little Five Points and another 15 in Inman Park, were vandalized overnight as the city grapples with a string of auto break-ins that have occurred since the weekend.

At least 54 vehicles in Little Five Points, Inman Park, Virginia-Highland, Midtown and Buckhead have been vandalized since the weekend.

But police arrested two men Cedrick L. Dennis of Ellenwood and Stephen Costley of Forest Park, following a 4 a.m. call about suspicious activity at the Savannah Midtown Apartments at 215 North Ave. Officers responding to the call found Dennis and Costley — along with a woman — in a van containing a video game
console, GPS unit, phones and stereo equipment, among other items.

Police said several items in the van came from damaged vehicles in the parking lot.

Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos said Dennis, 18, and Costley, 32, are not suspects in the Euclid Avenue break-ins "at this time, but we are certainly going to explore all possibilities."

For now, each man is charged with two counts of entering an auto and two counts of damage to property in the Midtown case. Costley also is charged with possession of tools to commit crime.

Police have not filed charges against the woman, whom they have not named, but she is being held for questioning.

They are being questioned in the Inman Park break-ins which occurred at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Steel Apartments, 240 No. Highland Ave. Fifteen cars were vandalized there and while they're being questioned they have not been charged.

The spate of break-ins underscore APD's efforts in recent months to get residents to remember not to leave items — laptops, wallets, and cell phones, among other items — in their vehicles.

For the last several months, APD officers have been going to community and neighborhood association meetings to tout the "Clean Car Campaign."

The program is designed to get auto owners to remain vigilant about keeping their vehicles free of items that could be tempting to thieves.