Woman robbed at gunpoint off Howell Mill

Sandra Richardson almost always asks to be escorted to her car when she is ready to leave an establishment at night. But Sunday evening was different and a pair of thieves were waiting for her when she left West Midtown’s alone shortly before midnight.

The 64-year-old Richardson had been photographing musicians in the blues club located at 1058 Howell Mill Road, and was in the process of putting her camera bag in the trunk of her car that was parked at 1077 Brady Avenue. That’s when a light-colored car pulled up and out popped a man from the rear passenger seat carrying a silver handgun.

“At first I thought, ‘that’s a short guy with a big gun.,’” she told Patch.

Demanding her bag, the suspect ripped the bag and camera, estimated to be worth $600, from her shoulder. The suspect, whom Richardson described as a 5-foot-6 black male in his early to mid 20s with a slight to medium build, hopped back in the car and the vehicle sped off down Howell Mill.

“They must have been waiting because their timing was perfect,’’ Richardson said. “I have never felt a concern there [outside Northside Tavern], but it was about a female being alone. That was the key and I’m glad I wasn’t left on the ground with gun shots.”

Sunday’s armed robbery was just another in a rash of West Midtown incidents involving suspects using guns to prey upon victims walking the streets alone. The previous weekend produced a series of such robberies along 10th Street near Georgia Tech and the Home Park neighborhood.

Lt. J. D. Cantin of the Atlanta Police Department told Patch that the suspects in crimes, “will take whatever they can," adding "we want to make sure you’re watching your surroundings; know what’s going on and pay attention.”