Decatur, GA — Decatur Police responded to the 1100 block of Church Street on Saturday, March 4, after getting a report about a person pointing a firearm at another person.

“After speaking with an adult male victim in this case, it was determined the incident began outside of the city limits of Decatur in unincorporated DeKalb County,” Sgt. John Bender said. “The DeKalb County Police Department responded to the scene and took over the investigation.”

A DeKalb County Police Department spokesperson said officers responded a little after 1:30 p.m.

“The victim stated the suspect stole a firearm from his vehicle and pointed it at him,” the spokesperson said. “There were no shots fired and no one was injured during the theft.  The incident will be assigned to a detective to further the investigation.  We have no additional information at this time.”

In other public safety news:

— A protest of the new police training center site in DeKalb County resulted in 35 arrests after activists allegedly set fire to construction equipment and attacked police officers.

The Atlanta Police Foundation is constructing an 85-acre police/fire training facility located in DeKalb County’s South River Forest, called “Cop City” by activists. The location has historically been the Old Atlanta Prison Farm site.

To read the full story, click here.

— The pursuit of an armed robbery suspect led to a lockdown of The Museum School of Avondale Estates on Friday, March 3.

The DeKalb County Police Department released additional details about the incident.

“On March 3, at approximately 12:30 p.m., officers were circulating in the area of Memorial Drive and Covington Highway in reference to a stolen vehicle that had been used in an armed robbery,” a spokesperson for the police department said. “Officers located the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle refused to stop.  After a brief pursuit, the vehicle crashed in the area of Royal Bluff and Ashfield Drive. The suspect fled on foot but was later apprehended hiding in the crawl space of a nearby residence.  He has since been lodged in the DeKalb Jail for various felonies.  We have no additional information at this time.”

To read the full story, click here.

— DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond included a salary increase for police and fire recruits in the fiscal year 2023 budget.

The DeKalb Board of Commissioners approved the FY 2023 operating budget on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The budget includes $4.3 million to raise the starting salaries for police and fire recruits and provide increases for veteran public safety personnel, according to a press release. The $4.3 million prorated funding for these salary increases will come from existing FY2023 police and fire rescue budgets.

To read the full story, click here.

— MARTA Police are asking for the public’s help responding to a report of shots fired near the Avondale MARTA station on Wednesday, March 1.

MARTA Police haven’t been able to speak to any witnesses of the event, which happened around 4 p.m. Decatur Police also responded, but MARTA Police have jurisdiction over the scene. Multiple people on social media did report hearing about the shooting, smelling smoke, and in some cases seeing it occur, but those accounts have not been corroborated. MARTA Police want to speak with any witnesses who were there.

For more information, click here.

— On March 1, police responded to an unauthorized person entering College Heights Early Childhood Learning center and an active shooter hoax at Decatur High.

College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center went into a lockdown on Wednesday, March 1, for about 40 minutes after an unauthorized person entered the school building.

Decatur Police Sgt. John Bender later confirmed that police carrying long guns responded to Decatur High after getting a call about a student firing a gun inside the classroom. The call turned out to be a hoax.

There’s no indication the incidents are related. For the full story, click here.

—  Decatur High School went on lockdown Tuesday evening due to a shooting, according to multiple parents who texted Decaturish about the situation.

“On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at approximately 5:32 p.m., Decatur Police responded to the 1400 block of Commerce Drive in reference to a person shot,” Decatur Police Sgt. John Bender said. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. The male was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The case is actively being investigated. If you have any information in the case, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404-373-6551.”

On Friday, March 3, Bender said the suspect in the case has been identified as Terrill Hall, 24, of Decatur.

“Mr. Hall is currently wanted for aggravated assault in relation to this case,” Bender said. “If you have information on the whereabouts of Mr. Hall, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404-373-6551 or dial 911.”

For the full story, click here.

Reporter Zoe Seiler contributed to this story. 

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