The Blotter: Icebreaker

A 24-year-old Atlanta man got a summer job driving an ice cream truck. His first stop for sweet sales: the apartment complex where he lives on Center Street. Before trying to sell ice cream, the man decided to quickly visit a buddy. “He said that he got out of the vehicle and began to walk toward his friend’s apartment when he heard the Ice Cream Truck doors open,” a cop noted. When he returned to the truck the man saw a slim guy “wearing black-and-white leopard pants and a white T-shirt” standing in the back of the ice-cream truck. “Get out!” the man shouted to the slim stranger. The slim stranger responded by saying the ice cream truck driver needed to give back to the community. Then the slim stranger lifted up his shirt, exposing a gun nestled near his hip. “[The victim] said he turned the Ice Cream Truck on and started to put it into reverse when the male began to stumble in the back of the truck,” the cop wrote. “He stated [the suspect] then pulled out his gun and told him to stop the truck.” Then the slim stranger grabbed two boxes of ice cream from the freezer and sprinted away from the truck. The cop noted that the 24-year-old victim “could not advise of the price of the ice cream that was taken, since this is his very first day on the job.” The slim stranger often hangs out in the area, but no one knew his name. No wonder the cops couldn’t catch the slim stranger: His trail had already gone cold.

Swimming pool blues

Someone called police about dozens of teenagers swimming in a pool after-hours in Mozley Park. A cop said the swimmers dispersed when he arrived “but a fight broke out near the recreation office.” The brawl centered around two teenage girls, one of whom was hitting the other “with a closed fist vigorously,” the cop noted. “I pursued the suspect but she ran off with another teenaged boy into the woods.” The cop canvassed the area for the teenage brawlers, but they were gone. Apparently, at least one teen got revenge on the cop for busting up their private swim. When the officer returned to his patrol car, he realized his driver’s window was smashed, a door dented, and the windshield cracked. “My duty bag was ransacked leaving my police gear scattered throughout the vehicle,” the cop wrote. Also, the cop’s personal white iPhone was stolen from the car. For some reason, the location could not be tracked on cop’s phone. The cop filed a report about teens vandalizing his patrol car.

Too hot for underwear

Near Underground Atlanta, an officer got a late-night surprise: a 64-year-old man strutting around in his birthday suit. “While patrolling the area, I noticed a male walking around in the nude. At first, I thought I was seeing things, due to the fact that it was 4 a.m. in the morning,” the cop noted. “I got a little closer. He was naked, my eyes did not fool me.” Apparently, the night-streaker was clutching his clothes in his hands. The cop asked him to get dressed and hauled him off to jail on a public indecency charge.

Ticked-off traveler

Tensions recently skyrocketed at Hartsfield-Jackson International A 38-year-old man walked up to the Ground Transportation Booth and asked how much a cab ride to Riverdale would cost. About $30, a clerk replied. “That’s fucked up. That’s fucking bullshit,” the man said as he started knocking and pounding on the Ground Transportation Booth and cussing out the transportation manager. A female airport officer arrived and told the guy to calm down. “Get the fuck away from me,” the man yelled, adding that he’s a Nigerian diplomat as he pounded both his hands into his chest. Then the man disappeared. Airport workers called the police. Eventually, an Atlanta cop found the man “walking in and out of traffic on Airport Boulevard. Due to his behavior, he was almost struck by passing motorists,” the cop noted. As the officer approached, the man screamed, “Get the fuck away from me!” The irate traveler went to jail on disorderly conduct charges.

Game changer

An 18-year-old lives at home with his parents, sister, and brother on Candler Park Drive. One day he slept until 10 a.m., but his sister left the house hours earlier, leaving the front door unlocked. After the 18-year-old woke up, a few hours elapsed before he realized they’d been robbed. The following items were reported stolen: $30 cash from the 18-year-old’s wallet, an Xbox gaming console, and his brother’s mountain bike. A police officer arrived to take the report. “I observed a large dog inside, and asked where the dog was during the robbery to which [the 18-year-old] replied he wasn’t sure, possibly the backyard,” the cop noted. “I then asked if his parents were aware of the theft. He said yes, and that they were at a Frisbee game during the time I was at the location.” Apparently, the parents chose to attend a Frisbee game while their son handled the home robbery.

Items in the Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words.