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Decatur Police investigate 63 vehicle break-ins in Oakhurst neighborhood

Crime and public safety Decatur Trending

Decatur Police investigate 63 vehicle break-ins in Oakhurst neighborhood

Decatur Police car. Photo by Dean Hesse.
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Decatur, GA — Decatur Police are investigating dozens of vehicle break-ins that occurred on Cambridge Avenue in the Oakhurst neighborhood.

Police got a call on April 25 and responded to the 200 block of Cambridge Avenue at 3:40 a.m. The call said four males were looking into vehicles. When police arrived, they saw two teenage boys breaking into a vehicle, Sgt. John Bender said.

“The officers pursued the suspects during a foot chase through the backyards of residences in the area,” Bender said. “The suspects were not located after the chase. Officers located approximately 63 vehicles that were forcibly entered and parked on several streets throughout the Oakhurst Neighborhood. The Decatur Police Criminal Investigations Division is diligently working to identify the suspects involved in this case. If you have video footage of the incident or information about this case, please contact the Decatur Police Department at 404-373-6551.”

In other public safety news:

— Around midnight, a vehicle hit a power pole at Lawrenceville HIghway and McLendon in Greater Decatur, causing a brief power outage.

According to a DeKalb County Police spokesperson, “There was a vehicle accident where a power pole was struck and damaged, resulting in a power outage, and the intersection closed for approximately two hours. Minor injuries were reported but no one was transported from the scene by EMS.”

— The city of Clarkston honored four city employees at its April 25 city council meeting.

Clarkston Police Sgt. Ryan Koirala, Officer R. Dillard, and Officer S. Smith were recognized for the “kindness and sensitivity they bestowed upon a resident.” Hakeem Ayuba from the Public Works Department was recognized for having “the tenacity to go above and beyond to keep the city looking its best.”

At the end of the meeting, the council voted to approve a contract with Brittany Trammell to be a solicitor for the City of Clarkston. Trammell will be paid $1,000 monthly to provide prosecuting attorney services for the Clarkston Municipal Court.

— A cyclist is OK after being hit by a DeKalb County school bus.

DeKalb County Police are investigating the incident, which occurred around 4:30 p.m. on April 24. For more information, click here.

— On Monday, April 24, dozens of Emory University students rallied on the campus quad to protest the construction of Atlanta’s public safety training center, called “Cop City” by its detractors.

Rally organizer Jaanaki Radhakrishnan, a first-year student, told Decaturish, “We’re out here today as students of Emory to call for this university to condemn the development of Cop City and do everything in its power to make sure that Cop City is never built. We, as Emory students, recognize the harm of militarized policing in this country. We recognize the vitality of the Weelaunee Forest and why it is essential that we do everything we can to protest it. We also recognize our position of privilege as students at an incredibly influential institution. We feel responsibility to use that position in order to uplift the voices of the Atlanta community who are calling for justice.”

To see photos from the event and read the full story, click here.

— Clarkston City Hall and the streets around it were closed Tuesday morning, April 25, as police responded to a woman with a gun sitting inside a construction vehicle.

According to Chief Christine Hudson, construction is happening around the police department involving the installation of electric vehicle chargers. The woman was having a mental health crisis, Hudson said. No one was held hostage, she said. DeKalb Police also responded to the scene.

The woman was eventually taken into custody and sent to a local hospital for evaluation. She won’t face any charges. To read the full story, click here.

— Hate groups have been leaving antisemitic and transphobic flyers at homes in east Atlanta over the weekend.

The Atlanta Police Department is investigating the distributions that occurred in Zone 6, including the Kirkwood and East Lake communities. On April 20, the Atlanta Police Department announced it is investigating three violent crimes committed against transgender women. To read the full story, click here.

— During a town hall on Thursday, April 20, state legislators from Decatur and DeKalb County agreed that the General Assembly should talk about requiring the Georgia State Patrol to wear body cameras. They also weighed in on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in response to audience questions.

Reps. Mary Margaret Oliver (D – Decatur), Omari Crawford (D – Decatur), Becky Evans (D – Atlanta) and Sen. Elena Parent (D – Senate District 42) hosted the town hall. A question submitted prior to the town hall asked the legislators if they would commit to introducing legislation to require the Georgia State Patrol to wear body cameras.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Oliver said. “The conversation about why they weren’t wearing body cameras has to do with [that] they have cameras in their cars now, because most of what they do is traffic offenses. That’s a conversation that we need to move forward on.”

To read the full story, click here,

Zoe Seiler, Sara Amis and Dean Hesse contributed reporting to this story. 

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