Person of interest in laptop thefts sought

Midtown Blue is asking for the public’s help in locating an individual who is a person of interest in some laptop thefts in the Midtown area. His surveillance camera image is provided with this article.

If you see the suspect in or around your office buildings, please call 911 then Midtown Blue at 404-817-0500.

Midtown Blue is the 24/7 public safety force of off-duty police officers patrolling Midtown streets and sidewalks and augmenting Atlanta Police Department (APD) services for a safer environment.

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APD has released more details in last week’s chase that resulted in some Midtown residents helping apprehend a suspect who was being pursued by police on foot.

According to police reports, on Feb. 13, APD officers were conducting a safety checkpoint at Parkway Drive and Linden Avenue when a vehicle was observed backing up, turning around and then running a stop sign. An officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on that vehicle at Ralph McGill Boulevard and Central Avenue, but the driver refused to stop.

Police officials said the officer followed the vehicle a short distance and then deactivated his emergency equipment. When the vehicle reached 865 Mentelle Drive, the driver ran over a stop sign and struck a brick wall. The driver then fled on foot through the backyards of several homes.

According to Channel 2 Action News, a group of homeowners, “some armed with guns,” pursued after the suspect and caught him near Charles Allen Drive.

According to police, several neighbors in the area directed officers to the location of the suspect and assisted police in taking him into custody. The suspect, 19-year-old Christopher Welch, was charged with numerous traffic violations, as well as attempting to elude police.

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Georgia Tech Police have welcomed a new smart phone app that will allow students an easy way to reach campus police when they are in trouble. “Jacket Guardian’’ allows police to utilize a GPS to track a students’ cell phone signal.

The program requires Tech students to create a profile so police can quickly indentify them during a time of crisis. The technology comes after a series of late 2011 assaults and robberies on the Tech campus. Read more about it here.

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Finally, here’s Midtown Blue’s safety tip of the month.

Did you know that your car keys could help protect your personal safety? Next time you come home for the night and start to put your keys away, think of this: your car keys provide access to a security alarm system that requires no installation. 

If you hear someone lurking outside your home or get approached in a parking lot, press the panic button on your car keys. It will activate your car alarm. The loud honking and blinking lights will likely scare off any criminal. The car alarm will continue to sound until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob.

Test it. You should be able to set off the car alarm from most anywhere inside your home whether you park in a driveway or garage. And, after a few seconds of car alarm noise the neighbors will be alerted and may help you spot the thief.

So remember to keep your keys beside your bed at night or in your hands in a parking lot. Maybe it could prevent a crime or even save a life.