Crime & Safety
Police Arrest Suspected Auto Vandal on Boulevard
After an uptick in vandalism, stepped up patrols lead to arrest.
OLD FOURTH WARD — Just days after thieves broke into 20 cars in the parking garage at the Auburn Glenn Apartments, police arrested a man Wednesday suspected of breaking into a vehicle in a lot across the street from the residential complex.
Michael Williams, 49, was arrested and charged with entering an auto and taken to the Fulton County Jail.
The arrest comes as the Atlanta Police Department's Zone 6, which includes Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and Grant Park, increased patrols along the Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue corridors following an uptick in auto break-ins.
Police gave the following account:
On July 31, at approximately 7:30 p.m. Officers Ryan Jones and Eric Lightkep saw a suspicious person walking in between cars in a parking lot across from 49 Boulevard. The officers approached the man — later identified as Williams — and asked him what he was doing in the parking lot.
He said he was looking out for juveniles who were breaking into cars. The officers left and continued to patrol the area. But feeling uneasy, they circled the block and came back to the same parking lot.
As they pulled up to the lot they saw Williams, who was now carrying a gray backpack and leaving the parking lot. He turned around, saw the officers and ran north toward Edgewood Avenue. The officers then heard a citizen yelling from the apartments overhead in an attempt to alert them about the crime that he had just witnessed. The officers pursued Williams, caught up with him on Edgewood Avenue and detained him.
They returned to the location of the crime and were able to locate the owner of a 2006 Black Dodge Charger. Williams is suspected of punching out the trunk lock of the Charger with a screwdriver.
Williams took the gray backpack out of the trunk of the victim’s car, after seeing the owner place the bag there.
The backpack contained a MacBook laptop, which was returned to the owner.
The incident should serve as a reminder about not leaving valuables in your vehicles.
Atlanta police have been pushing the "Clean Car" campaign, an effort to get motorists to remove things like mobile phones, GPS systems and even loose change from sight.
Michael Williams, 49, was arrested and charged with entering an auto and taken to the Fulton County Jail.
The arrest comes as the Atlanta Police Department's Zone 6, which includes Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and Grant Park, increased patrols along the Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue corridors following an uptick in auto break-ins.
Police gave the following account:
On July 31, at approximately 7:30 p.m. Officers Ryan Jones and Eric Lightkep saw a suspicious person walking in between cars in a parking lot across from 49 Boulevard. The officers approached the man — later identified as Williams — and asked him what he was doing in the parking lot.
He said he was looking out for juveniles who were breaking into cars. The officers left and continued to patrol the area. But feeling uneasy, they circled the block and came back to the same parking lot.
As they pulled up to the lot they saw Williams, who was now carrying a gray backpack and leaving the parking lot. He turned around, saw the officers and ran north toward Edgewood Avenue. The officers then heard a citizen yelling from the apartments overhead in an attempt to alert them about the crime that he had just witnessed. The officers pursued Williams, caught up with him on Edgewood Avenue and detained him.
They returned to the location of the crime and were able to locate the owner of a 2006 Black Dodge Charger. Williams is suspected of punching out the trunk lock of the Charger with a screwdriver.
Williams took the gray backpack out of the trunk of the victim’s car, after seeing the owner place the bag there.
The backpack contained a MacBook laptop, which was returned to the owner.
The incident should serve as a reminder about not leaving valuables in your vehicles.
Atlanta police have been pushing the "Clean Car" campaign, an effort to get motorists to remove things like mobile phones, GPS systems and even loose change from sight.
Still, people continue to leave things behind in their vehicles — irresistible to thieves hunting for electronics, jewelry and other valuables to pawn for cash.
Nothing is beyond temptation — boxes, loose chargers, even your gym bag with your sweaty, smelly clothes.
All of those things are enticing to crooks looking to make some quick cash to support their alcohol and drug habits.
Find out what's happening in East Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Even GPS mounts are enough of an enticement to break in because theives know that in a lot of cases, if people leave their empty GPS mounts on the dash or windshield, chances are, they've hidden the GPS machine itself somewhere in the car.
Best practice: Take everything with you or pack it away out of public view before you leave your home.
Find out what's happening in East Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here