Atlanta

Victim says carjackers were 'smoking dope' before speeding away, crashing car

ATLANTA — A man targeted by armed carjackers during a crime spree is warning others after the thieves crashed into a Buckhead neighborhood while trying to escape from police.

Police said the men also pulled a gun on a woman before crashing the car.

DeElizer Turner said he was on Ada Avenue in northwest Atlanta last Monday afternoon when the two robbers caught him off guard.

"The guys come out the woods, jump in the back seat, pulled a gun on me, told me start driving," Turner told Channel 2's Matt Johnson.

Turner said he tried to reason with them.

“I offered the money I had. I said, ‘Do y’all need to eat, where y’all need to go?’” Turner said.

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Turner said the men wanted him to go inside an abandoned house with them. When he refused, they robbed him and stole his gold Saturn sedan.

“I was nervous because they were smoking dope, and their hands were trembling on the gun,” Turner said.

Atlanta police said the robbers then pulled a gun on a pizza delivery woman 3 miles away on Defoors Ferry Road at around 7 p.m. that same night.

Officers spotted the gold Saturn minutes later, and they say the suspects kept going until they crashed on Moores Mill Road. One suspect was apprehended at the scene.

A second suspect inside escaped before the crash, and police said they're still looking for him.

Johnson looked up crime stats so far for this year and found, as of last week, robberies were up 31 percent citywide compared to this point last year.

Turner said the worst part about what happened is how quickly he had guns pointed at his head.

“At any given time, people can get the drop on you,” Turner said.

The suspect who was arrested was taken to a local hospital for his injuries from the crash but has not yet been booked into the Fulton County Jail.