Crime & Safety

Thieves Withdraw ATM, Steal $42,000 Worth of Purses

Atlanta police believe the four smash-and-grab incidents, including a pair on the westside and one at Lenox Square Mall, are related.

Atlanta police are investigating several smash-and-grab crimes they believe are related in which thieves stole $42,000 in purses and used a van to crash into an ATM to steal it.

"We do believe that these may be related," said Officer John Chaffee of the Public Affairs division.

At 12:09 a.m. on Jan. 16, an officer answered an alarm call at the Salvatore Ferragamo store in Lenox Mall. He was told by mall security that the store's glass door had been shattered and the rear door coming into the mall had been broken.

Find out what's happening in Midtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

No suspects were found in the store, but approximately 25 purses were stolen worth $42,000.

Surveillance video shows suspects driving up to the rear mall door in a two-tone, dark colored SUV. It also shows three suspects breaking thorugh the rear dor of the mall and the front door to the business. They ran out of the rear mall door.

Find out what's happening in Midtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Another officer was dispatched to the westside at White Provision at 1100 Howell Mill Road on a report of a stolen ATM. Security officers told him that an ATM was taken from an open breezeway by unknown men in a white pickup truck.

It appears as if the truck backed down the breezeway, struck the ATM to knock it off its mount and then the men loaded the ATM into the truck.

Video surveillance shows the suspect vehicle entering the parking deck at approximately 5:30 a.m., and then leaving quickly two minutes later. A truck bed cover on the 2004 white Dodge Ram pickup truck was closed when entering the parking garage, but appeared as if it was ajar on the way out.

The white Dodge truck was later recovered.

At around 7:30 a.m., suspects attempted to back a white van into a BP at 1176 Chattahoochee Ave. The van became stuck on a guard pole. Nothing was taken in this attempt.

One incident happened at a gas station near Fulton Industrial Boulevard at Interstate 20, MyFoxAtlanta.com reported.


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

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Midtown