String of Buckhead businesses held up

ATLANTA — Some Buckhead business owners said a man has held up several of their employees at gunpoint, getting away with cash.

Several businesses along Peachtree Road have been hit, the most recent being at a Subway restaurant. Employees said the robber came in with a bandana over his face, pointed the gun at both of them and demanded that they hand over all the cash.

"The places that have been hit (are) Mattress Firm, Subway in our shopping center, CVS, Walgreens, and Publix and that's just on this block," said Lee Brockwell, an employee at nearby Moda 404.

The business robberies have been reported from Brookhaven to midtown Atlanta.

Atlanta police are looking into whether a man charged in a bank robbery may be linked to the crimes. They charged 39-year-old Demetrius Hemphill in a holdup at the Suntrust Bank inside the Publix on Peachtree Road Jan. 2., but that took place at least before the Subway robbery.

"Apparently he comes in when there's two people in the store and holds the gun to the other person," Brockwell said.

Business owners in the area said they've been warned about the robberies, and are taking their security to the next level.

"I think I'm going to have to go to target practice. I think I'm going to purchase a gun for my own protection," Cookie Creations owner Donna Sebusch said.

WSBTV