ATLANTA — Atlanta police are still searching for the group of children who stole a city councilperson’s SUV on Wednesday.
Antonio Brown said he still can’t believe the suspects were children as young as 7. He said four boys, the oldest maybe 13, walked up to his SUV while he was about 4 feet away, and jumped inside and drove off. He told police the key fob was still in the vehicle.
“These are kids,” brown said. “These are little kids.”
He said he was trying to get the boys out of the car, and they must have dragged him about half a block.
“I just let go of the vehicle at that time and these young kids proceeded to take off,” Brown said.
Brown said he was about to meet with a developer to build affordable housing in the Dixie Hills community when the car was stolen. He said one of the boys motioned like he had a gun or weapon under his clothes before driving off.
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“It’s a sad reality when the boys, who should’ve been in school, have no regard for people and they can just walk up to you and steal your car,” Brown said. “These are kids, these are little kids and a car is materialistic, a car can be replaced a life cannot be. So this was something that put a lot of things in perspective of what’s really happening in these communities.”
Brown said he doesn’t want to press charges but wants the boys held accountable for what they did, and how this is example of how we have to reimagine policing.
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Brown has a picture of the kids, but police have not confirmed if they are suspects.
Brown said he wants them held accountable.
“We need to put them in a diversion program, so we can give them the wrap-around services that they need so they don’t think it’s ok to go around stealing someone’s car,” Brown said.
Police have been working to find the 2016 Mercedes-Benz SUV with a Find My Car app, but so far, no luck.
Police are asking anyone with information to give them a call.
Residents in the area said they aren’t surprised by the crime.
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