ATLANTA — A woman is recovering from a frightening encounter after a gunman caught her off guard and carjacked her.
Atlanta police have released surveillance video of the incident in hopes of finding the carjacker.
"It's very alarming," Detective Benjamin King said.
The video shows a suspect pointing a gun at a woman before robbing and stealing her car. The incident happened around 7 a.m. on July 25.
"If they can do something like that in broad daylight, we have to get them off the street," King said.
The woman is physically OK.
"The woman was very shaken up. This can be a life changing event for her," King said.
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It all began when the woman stopped at a gas station in Little Five Points at 350 Moreland Avenue. She noticed a man on the phone near her car outside the store. She didn't think anything of it.
"She said he asked for some change. She told him that she did not have any change. The suspect then brandished a black and silver handgun," King said.
The man then took her keys, her cellphone, her wallet and items she bought from the gas station. He tried to take her car but initially, he couldn't get it to move, "because she had a push-to-start car," King said.
The woman was told to come back and start her car and that's when the man drove off in it. Detectives hope someone recognizes the carjacker.
"They have great cameras, as you can see. She was just starting her morning. We just hope that the citizens can help bring this guy to justice," King said.
Deputies attempted to track the victim's cellphone, but it had been turned off.
The suspect appears to be between 18 and 25, he had on a red cutoff tank top, black sweatpants and gray tennis shoes. He also wears a black do-rag.
Anyone with any information on the case should call CrimeStoppers at 404-577-8477.