The arrest of four men over the Fourth of July holiday weekend might help Atlanta police solve a number of violent crimes that have hit East Atlanta.
DeKalb County police arrested the men following the discovery of stolen guns, electronics and checkbooks in their apartment, as well as two stolen cars, Channel 2 News reported.
Atlanta police officials think the men might be linked to a string of violent crimes that have hit East Atlanta in recent weeks, the news station said.
"DeKalb made some significant arrests on the Fourth of July," Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Renée Propes told Channel 2. "We believe they may be related to some of the crimes here in Zone 6, because we know perpetrators don't know borders."
It's not immediately clear to which crimes they may be linked, but since May, East Atlanta alone has had three murders and a number of armed hold-ups, the most recent occurring on Sunday, July 7.
Other neighborhoods in East Atlanta Patch have been hit with crimes, too, including incidents in Grant Park, Reynoldstown and Kirkwood. Portions of unincorporated DeKalb just outside the city limits also have been affected, including last week's armed robbery of a Braeburn Circle resident who only recently moved to the area with his wife.
Even Decatur, normally considered a safe haven, was hit recently, with a carjacking, the armed robberies of three women in Oakhurst Park and an attempted armed hold-up of a man in Oakhurst.
The crimes have brought a crush of neighborhood scrutiny on local police, prompting Atlanta City Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong and DeKalb County Commissioner Larry Johnson to hold a joint summit last week with Atlanta, DeKalb County and Decatur police officials.
The representatives discussed a host of issues ranging from sharing of information among jurisdictions, to doing a better job of informing residents of significant arrests, to frustrations with criminal prosecutions.
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