The Blotter: Riding high

A 32-year-old bearded man had a wild ride through Buckhead – and his bar habit may have helped lead to his capture. It all began on Peachtree Road near “Jesus Junction” (a nickname for the three-way intersection anchored by three of Atlanta’s largest churches, including a Catholic church, a Baptist church, and an Episcopalian church). A cop tried to pull over the man’s red Ford SUV. The alleged crime: expired vehicle registration and no valid insurance coverage.

The cop said he “blue-lighted the vehicle” and the SUV headed into a gas station. The cop believed “the vehicle was gone (sic) stop.” 

“As we pulled into the gas station, the driver then refused to stop and got back ... northbound on Peachtree Road,” the cop noted. “The driver failed to maintain his lane, all over the road, reckless without any regards to any other drivers or pedestrians on the roadway.” The cop made note of the suspect’s appearance, including his “full beard,” his “blue T-shirt” and “washed-out gray-blue baseball-style cap”  

The man sped through Buckhead Village, heading north on Roswell Road. Moments later, he pulled into a driveway near Atlanta Fire Rescue Station No. 31. Once again, the cop believed the bearded man was preparing to stop. “As I got out of my patrol vehicle, I observed the reverse lights come on and tires started to spin – at which I drew my service weapon in fear of my life,” the cop recalled. “The driver then placed the vehicle in drive as the tires started spinning again. I felt the vehicle was coming straight at me,” the cop noted. “I sidestepped the vehicle and pulled out my ASP baton, striking the driver-side rear window, hoping to shock the driver into stopping. ” The baton strike shattered the window.

The man backed onto Roswell Road and hit the gas, “almost causing the vehicle to lose control as he was fleeing.” 

Apparently, the bearded man is a well-known regular at several Buckhead Village bars. ”I was flagged down by several bar employees in the immediate area that stated that they recognized the man that fled as a patron that’s normally very intoxicated,” the cop noted. Bar employees said the man regularly gets drunk and drives to his home very close to the bars.

Knowing the suspect lived nearby, the cop scoured the area for clues. Moments later, the man emerged from his hiding spot: a church. One with the largest Presbyterian congregation in the U.S. Cops said he was “stumbling” near the church, staggering toward Roswell Road. His red SUV was parked in the church’s lot.  

“I positively identified him as the driver who attempted to run over me,” the cop noted.

The cop walked over and ordered the man to put his hands behind his back.

The man immediately threw his hands in the air and yelled, “What the fuck are you doing, dude?”

The cop grabbed the man’s arm – and he tried to escape. “I grabbed the male and tried to slam him on the ground,” the cop recalled. “I was able to grab his left arm and place him in cuffs.”

The man reeked of booze and slurred his speech. Police took him to the Buckhead police precinct, where he immediately demanded medical attention. Why? His poopy pants were irritating him, for starters. “The suspect stated that he defecated on himself and was complaining of wrist pain. Medics examined his wrist and poopy pants – and decided his injuries “were not severe enough to transport the male to the hospital.”   

The man was charged with aggravated assault, DUI, reckless driving, fleeing and eluding police, seat belt violation, speeding, no car insurance, expired registration, and driving on the wrong side of the road. His Buckhead sprint was finally over. He landed in a jail cell.

Career goals gone awry

In Downtown, a cop responded to a fight call at a bus station on Forsyth Street. Upon arrival, the cop found a man “laying on the ground, with two people restraining him.” Apparently, the man believed his jobs were very important. “He was saying that he was a U.S. Marshall as well as an FBI agent,” the cop recalled. “I approached the male and told him I was going to handcuff him. I could see that the male had a red mark next to his left eye and it was swollen. I handcuffed one hand but he would not give me his other hand.”

A few minutes later, the cop told the suspect “if he continues to fight me and not allow me to detain him, I was going to deploy my Taser. [The suspect] made a reference to sodomizing me.”

Immediately after that remark, the suspect allowed himself to be handcuffed. Then, he refused to walk to the patrol car. Three police officers “had to carry him by this arms most of the way to the vehicle.”

Strange stroll

In Northwest Atlanta, a 63-year-old man said his red-and-black electronic wheelchair was swiped. The man said he went to a grocery store, and left his expensive wheelchair unsecured outside the store. The man walked into the store without any help, and shopped for food for nearly an hour.  When he left the store, his wheelchair was gone. No clues as to how the man could walk freely while food shopping and also relied on a wheelchair.

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