North Fulton County

Police: Man breaks woman's window, crawls into van

By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV
By Mike Petchenik, WSB-TV

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta police are looking for a carjacker who attacked a woman while she was waiting at a stop light.

It happened just before 2 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Rucker and Harris roads.

“We all woke up because the lady was screaming, ‘Someone help me, help me,’” said Hasan Mohammed, who lives at the intersection.

Alpharetta police said the woman was stopped at a light when the attacker broke out her passenger side window.

Neighbor Anna Mertel told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik she and her husband also heard the woman’s cries for help.

“This is right on the corner of my house,” she said. “If that’s happening, how can we avoid this? What we can do as women?”

Alpharetta police said the woman was stopped at a light when the attacker broke out her passenger side window and climbed into her van.

“This female attempted to fight back,” said Officer George Gordon. “She elbowed the guy in the head. She did the best she can to fight back, but then he pulled out what appeared to be a folding knife.”

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Gordon said the victim was able to untangle herself from her seat belt, escape from the car and run to a nearby neighbor for help.

“You can imagine how traumatized she was,” Gordon said. “She lost her car. She lost her purse. It’s my understanding she had gifts in her vehicle for the holiday season.”

Gordon said detectives were able to ping the victim’s phone to a location on Langford Parkway in south Fulton County, but since then the phone has been turned off. Police found the van nearly a week later on Thursday but are still searching for the carjacker.

“We just need the public’s help that if they saw anything at that time that occurred, we just want anyone with information to come forward,” he said.

Police said the victim didn’t get a good look at the attacker so they don’t have any description to help them identify him.

Mertel said she’s concerned for her safety.

“This is very quiet and nice neighborhood,” she said. “We never have got -- that I know, and I’ve been here four years-- this kind of problem.”

Cox Media Group

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