A Conyers teen was arrested last Tuesday after allegedly trying to carjack two vehicles while the drivers were still in them.
The juvenile suspect reportedly flagged down a Conyers Housing Authority work truck on Oct. 27 between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. and then jumped in front of the truck.
"The suspect stood in front of the truck with his hands on the hood without moving or saying anything," said Conyers Police Department spokesperson Maj. Scott Freeman in a released statement. "(The driver) rolled down the driver's window to tell the suspect to move, and then the suspect ran to the driver's door and tried to gain entry. The driver locked the door and rolled up the window before the suspect could gain entry. The suspect then grabbed the side view mirror and started hitting the driver's door before (the driver) drove away."
A little later that morning, around 11:05 a.m., a female resident was sitting in her parked vehicle on Center Street when the same teen reportedly entered her vehicle through the back door.
According to police reports, the female yelled at the suspect, "What are you doing? Get out of my car!" The suspect then got out of the vehicle and came around to the driver's door. "The suspect then opened the driver's door before (the driver) could lock it, and then he tried to hit (her)," wrote Freeman in the statement.
The woman was able to fight off the teen, who reportedly started walking down Green Street to Oakland Avenue. The woman then called 911 and followed the teen until Conyers police arrived on the scene and placed him under arrest.
"She did an excellent job in calling 911 so quickly," wrote Freeman. "With her being able to remain so calm, and provide our 911 dispatchers with detailed and real-time information, we were able to apprehend the juvenile."
"This is a good lesson for everyone in our community. When you see any type of crime, or have been the victim of a crime, the first call should be to 911. It is common for people not to call the police, and even delay calling the police because they may call a loved one or someone else. This delays police in getting to the area and diminishes our ability to catch offenders. In this case, (the woman) took the right steps quickly, and this allowed us to do our job swiftly and safely."