Officer spots robbery suspect on Channel 2

A career criminal, just released from prison, is now back in jail after an alert officer spotted him while watching Channel 2 Action News. The Sunday 6 p.m. newscast featured surveillance video from a theft at a high end clothing store. DeKalb County Police Sergeant Dan Oak recognized the thief as a suspected drunken driver he'd just arrested that morning.

            "That's him, I told my wife. That's the guy I arrested last night," Oak told Channel 2 investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer.

            The suspect is seen clearly on the video from Moda 404 on Peachtree Road in Buckhead. He pretended to be shopping and went to the register, but the owner says he then asked for a pair of shoes in another size. She stepped away from the counter, and the video shows the thief picking up and leaving with two bags of clothing and shoes valued at more than $4,000.

            "He was very arrogant and just bold with it. He picked the stuff up and walked right out of here like he owned it," said co-owner Lee Brockwell, "Just getting the word out and face out on tv really makes a difference."

            Oak not only recognized the man in the video as Tavoris Ashmon, 25, he recognized the distinctive jacket and shoes Ashmon was wearing during the arrest. When Oak saw them on the store video he called Atlanta Police.

            "Hopefully they can do the follow up and recover those items, and if not, at least we got the guy that did it," said Oak.

            He had been patrolling on Interstate 85 late Saturday night, when he says a brand new Audi S-5 blew right past him. Oak arrested the driver, Ashmon, for DUI and a long list of other traffic related offenses. Ashmon was booked into the DeKalb County Jail early Sunday morning.

            Then Oak determined the car was reported stolen from an Audi dealership in Chamblee. It also matched the description of the getaway car from the theft in Buckhead.

            "It's good that we can do that. There might be some additional cases this might get the information out, so hopefully this guy won't be doing anything like that anytime soon," said Oak.

            "I think that's great! I'm so glad that he saw that newscast on Channel 2, that really made a big difference," said Brockwell.

            "I just watch it just to be informed and this was just one of those situations where it caught my eye," said Oak.

            Ashmon will now face new felony warrants for the Atlanta theft, and the stolen car in Chamblee. He was  just released from prison on Nov. 30 after serving more than three years in prison for identity fraud and theft. He is currently on parole.

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