Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

An ambitious 17-year-old from Decatur broke into three businesses on Saturday morning and on the third try got himself arrested by Decatur Police officers.

Decatur Police Sgt. Jennifer Ross said the mischief began a little after 1 am on Feb. 14.

“At approximately 1:14 am, a Decatur officer was flagged down by a witness who stated he just observed a male attempt to break out the glass of a door at the Kroger at 720 Commerce Drive,” Ross said. “At approximately 1:35 am, Decatur officers responded to a burglary in progress at Shields Grocery and Produce at 145 Sycamore Street.  A witness reported he observed a male break the glass out of the front door and enter the business.”

Ross said the suspect next tried to break into the Square Convenience Store at 1 West Court Square, setting off the burglar alarm.

“An officer located a male matching the description given by the two prior witnesses in the 100 block of Sycamore Street trying to gain access to a locked alley,” Ross said. “Upon seeing the officer, the male ran and a foot chase ensued.  The male was caught and taken into custody in the area of East Ponce de Leon Avenue and East Court Square.”

Police charged the young man with two counts of burglary, one count of an attempt to commit burglary, obstruction of an officer and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.