Two women were kidnapped and robbed in Buckhead last month in separate crimes that may have been committed by the same suspect — a man who entered their cars, forced them to withdraw cash from a bank, and threatened their lives if they called police.
The Atlanta Police Department is seeking the suspect, who is described as a Black man with an Afro and shown in surveillance video as wearing a T-shirt, pants and ball cap, all dark in color. He gave his name as “Robert” to one victim.
Both crimes happened within several hundred feet of each other on Sept. 25 and 27 in the Lindbergh/Morosgo area, according to APD reports.
The Sept. 25 incident happened at 2531 Piedmont Road in the Lindbergh Plaza shopping center. The victim left a salon and, while she entered her SUV, the robber entered it through the passenger door and threatened to “blow her head off” if she screamed, according to an APD report. The victim attempted to get out of the vehicle, but the robber grabbed her arm and forced her back inside. He ordered her to drive to a bank and withdraw $600 and also took her phone so she could not call the police.
At the bank, the victim withdrew $700 and gave it to the robber. According to the report, the robber asked why she withdrew more money than he asked for, “then became emotional and explained to her that he was only trying to feed his son and he would never hurt her.” He gave his name as Robert and said he had lost his job as a home insulation installer. The robber then ordered the victim to drop him off near Atlantic Station and claimed another vehicle was following them containing someone who would kill her if she called the police. As a result, the victim delayed reporting the crime for two days.
The Sept. 27 incident happened at a QuikTrip gas station at 761 Sidney Marcus Boulevard. The victim reported that she got into her car while pumping gas and heard a man in the back seat tell her to drive and to not turn around. The robber took $200 from her purse and demanded that she go to an ATM and withdraw $800 in cash. The robber then directed her to drop him off at a location she could not identify, but that may have been near Georgia Tech. The robber told the victim not to call the police or he would harm her, so she delayed reporting the crime until the next day.
Crime Stoppers of Greater Atlanta offers a reward up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect. Anyone with information can call 404-577-8477 or visit StopCrimeATL.org.