Ryan Young's Blog

You can reach Ryan at ryan.young@wsbtv.com or 404-897-7826. Ryan is also on Facebook

We arrived to the home invasion call in Clayton County shortly after it happened. There was no need for a medical transport as the man who lived in the apt. was dead when police arrived. The victim according to police confronted a masked man who had just pointed a gun in his girlfriends face after breaking in.

As the two men fought in living room the woman was able to hide in a bedroom with her two kids, then the shooting started and her boyfriend was shot and killed.

On the fringes of the crime scene several crowds stood watching. Each seemed to have a different mood, reflecting what they knew or what they saw. One crowd could see the crime tape but not much more-they stood further back they still wanted to establish what was going on but not intrude. The other two crowds knew the victim and clearly identified with the pain the girlfriend was going thru. The pain was all over the women could barely walk; police and friends had to carry her children to a waiting car. Meanwhile Clayton Police searched the area looking for any clue, at one point a K-9 officer picked up a scent but that was lost about two blocks away from the shooting. The main issue this morning the woman inside the apt. said there was little chance for her to see any main features of the masked killer.

The next few hours will be crucial for detectives—there are some homes nearby so there is a chance that someone saw this man running away and that one tip could help catch the man.

The man’s actions may have saved the rest of the family from even more harm.

April 23

People are steaming mad about what happened to a family on Easter Sunday.

Here’s a video update as I wait for the latest from investigators:

RYAN YOUNG: Vlog On Hit-And-Run Arrest

Two comments from my Facebook page:

Cheryl -- Anyone will tell you that I do not uphold my child when she is wrong. That is what is wrong in this world--parents and family assisting and covering up the wrongdoings of their kids. You have to show tough love nowadays and allow kids to learn from their mistakes since they do not have the common sense to learn from the actions of others.

Funmilola -- Glad a resolution is coming about, but still disturbed it's taken so long, and of course curious if she confided in her family?

April 21

Firefighters will tell you all the time that smoke detectors will and can save lives!

This morning in Johns Creek we saw a perfect example, plain and simple two people inside a home off Fox Grape Lane got out of their house thanks to the device.

When we arrived shortly after 2am the house had suffered a fair amount of damage. Smoke poured out of the windows and water dripped from every inch of the wood frame. Fire Crews had to be pulled from the three story house after there was a collapse inside the home and fire was still in the floors.

This morning investigators will head back inside to try and determine the cause of the flames, and heavy smoke.

For all of us it may be a great time to check to see if our smoke detectors are up and running the right way!

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April 9

This week is skipping across at such a quick pace.

Just wanted to share something that didn't make air and more than likely never would.

One of the things that happens on this shift is that anyone who works it stops at a popular convenient store- it's a "safe place" for a pit stop or grabbing a Quick Drink.

The other night we watched an Atlanta police officer do something he would never get an award for but in the end should at least be given a nod for.

It was just after 2am--a taxi cab driver and his customer started to argue over payment. The cab driver didn't think the customer's cash was real so the situation was starting to spiral.

The cab driver was "larger" than life; he pushed his customer around like a rag doll outside the store. The police officer who we've bumped into before stepped in and wanted to help.

From that moment the tension climbed, the cab driver refused to take his hand out his pocket or obey any of the officers commands. Eventually there was a struggle; the officer, 6'1, 230, was having the struggle of his life trying to arrest this man who at best weighed at least 400 hundred pounds.

The officer managed to stay professional and somehow arrested the man at the front door while customers stepped over the man who was now under arrest on the ground, still raving mad.

The curse words flowed from the drivers mouth like a fountain. The whole time the officer never broke stride handling everything to the best of his ability. Maybe not news worthy but certainly nod worthy!

April 3

March 3, 2009 We started chasing storm damage early, about 1am. The worst damage was in Rome, 6 homes damaged. After a caffeine pit stop--we drove the mini satellite truck to where we thought damage would be; it was little more than a hour ride.

I tend to feel like my dog when we do this because we get a location and then hang our heads out the window looking from house to house to see what is damaged.

During tornado coverage often times it's so dark you can be standing in front of damaged house and miss it.

We found the house you see here on Flannery street, Floyd county Emergency mang. was on scene. The homeowner was there as well. "This is the best part."

Toppled Tree Ryan Young IM

She was giggling and laughing and happy to see us. According to her it was a blessing she made it out and she didn't mind telling her story. Awesome the whole time we were there not one complaint not one!

When people reach that perspective moment and talk about what really matters it makes the experience so much better because it feeds you a little something extra.

"The grandkids made it out safe that's what she said the grandkids made it out safe."

Have a great weekend twitter, Facebook , WSBTV.com!!!

April 1

Protecting our homes and families is at the top of any ones list of concerns.

With that said we see communities in uproar over crime all the time. Nothing seems to bring a community together faster or tear it apart faster than crime. So it’s with no surprise that we are covering the City of Dunwoody’s first day of having a Police Dept... The residents here felt they just weren’t getting the kind of protection they wanted from DeKalb County.

Much of what they want it sounds like is that visible presence of officers actually turning down their streets and patrolling their neighborhoods. I can tell you in the years of violent crime that we have covered, I believe in the morning we might have been over in this section of DeKalb 3 times.

So from my mindset there seems to be no major problems here, but who can blame people during these times for taking an extra measure or two to protect their families and property.

Already the force of 40 has made several arrests in the first few hours. It’s all about perception these days and having more protection and better service is what the people voted for at a cost of $4.1 million a year. See you in the morning-or on Twitter or Facebook!!

March 25

Overnight as I drove into work, like many others I had to avoid the back-up on the Connector as crews laid beams for the new 14th Street bridge.

The sudden route change put me onto Piedmont Road, a normal quick detour that should have been a easy ride into the city.

"They" say everything happens for a reason; about a mile into my ride my phone rang to alert me to what I was already sitting in front of.

Ponce De Leon Shooting Ponce de Leon Shooting

In the picture here that I snapped with my Blackberry you can see two EMS units and the Atlanta police cars. Inside the ambulances -- three teens all wounded with a shotgun.

Police confirm they had three teens shot, the youngest 14.

Luckily the teens were hit with birdshot from a shotgun and their injuries appeared to be minor. One kid was hit with at least with 13 pellets.

What may be even stranger; according to police the kids may have been trying to buy marijuana when something in the deal went bad and the dealer shot the kids.

The kids ran to the Chevron at Ponce and Piedmont. One barely looked old enough to ride a rollercoaster let alone stand on the street close to midnight and maybe buy drugs.

March 24

Overnight we started out like many others trying to prioritize what we would cover several small things where going on.

Already we knew of a small back up on the connector close to midnight thanks to work on the 14th Street bridge. For about an hour we shot video of crews moving beams over the highway then we received a call from a source about a shooting in south Fulton.

We moved to a shooting in College Park that detectives tell us was apparently over a cell phone. According to the Fulton Police Dept. a women and a man had been arguing over the phone, the two also share a child. When the women showed up to the house from another county, she came with back up; she apparently brought with her a small group of men.

The group and the man at the house started to argue; threats were exchanged then shots were fired. The homeowner was hit in the chest and is now in critical condition, another man from the other group was shot and was taken to the hospital where police sat waiting.

We have been told there should be more arrest by the end of the day.

The first few days of this week have been violent.

Monday‘s murder of a convenience store attendant can only be described as brutal.

We saw the video as the crime happen in real time; images we couldn’t show on TV showed how violent the men who robbed this store were.

When one man hopped through the glass he didn’t hesitate shooting the young clerk in the head.

All day so many people reacted in anger and in sadness. One of things that I noticed on scene and what people have wrote to me concerning this story is just how much people are no longer surprised by what’s happening. One emailer wrote to me “just another day in the ATL. Others were sad but blamed it on the economy just interesting to sometimes hear how people process all that’s going on.

March 9, 2009

There's not much to say when you see the picture of this small teddy bear resting at the foot of this tree. You already know that someone has suffered an unexpected loss; near this spot a young boy lost his life.

Teddy Bear Missing boy Teddy bear

A large lock now keeps closed a fence less than 50 yards from where this bear lays.

Behind that fence is a gate -- a gate that 5 year-old Alexis Rivera was apparently able to pass through somehow.

According to Henry County Police there is a sludge-like containment area back behind the fence lines; it's 8 feet deep and that's where Henry Co. Fire Rescue found the young boy.

For hours more than 60 people, aided by a helicopter, the Henry SWAT team, and Fire Rescue teams searched for the little boy only to discover what so many hoped would not happen!

Considering all the stories we cover it's always a tremendous let down and emotional roller coaster when a child is involved in a tragic event.

A mother who helped in the search said "this is a mother's worst nightmare!"

I can only imagine what the family of this young boy is dealing with this morning.

March 6, 2009

We covered a real feel good story this morning! By the noon hour we should have more information about this story, but here's what we know.

A Cobb County Police officer arrived at an accident this morning in the Windy Hill tunnel that's right off 75 north. Shortly after the accident a car involved in the accident started to catch fire an the officer sprung into action. Within minutes the officer pulled one of the accident victims from the car at a cost to himself. During the rescue the officer suffered burns and his lungs filled with smoke, he was able to save the accident victim but had to be transported to the hospital!

No names have been released just yet.

We are told everyone should be ok and what a great way to end the week! This officer was willing to make a decision and step into action. We cover so many stories an a lot of times you just wish someone would have stepped in and done something before it was too late.

My police officer friends have explained to me the kind of rush they feel from action like this. Can you imagine I mean we high five and act crazy over small work successes. Imagine saving a life! What does that feel like? That's got to be the ultimate rush!

There's sure a lot of challenging things going on right now in our world. It's just nice to have someone just take action make a good move and save a life! Hats off to that officer!!

For all you early risers I'm now on Twitter and on Facebook!

Have a great weekend!

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Mar. 3

The details in stories that don't make air sometimes are the ones that add emphasis to the landscape of how we react.

As of 2:00 a.m. the situation regarding the two teens, 17 and 16, taking a counselor was very serious.

Understand that it was obvious how much attention police were giving this case as we stood outside waiting for details.

On the outside near the fence line there was a blood trail and a group of co-workers who by no means felt confident about what was going on.

The story line hard facts are on the front page, I just want to focus your eyes to the background for a second.

The folks who worked at this group home seemed shaken by the events; at one point they took the remaining kids on a ride to get something to eat.

Hours later their greatest fears would not be realized as their co-worker walked into the Walton County Hospital needing assistance.

Police made it clear to us they wanted us to get out the make and model of the car stolen in a effort to turn all viewers into the eyes and ears of the police department.

I say all this to say the fear on the faces of the people involved seem to translate a greater need for information and understanding. They also appeared to be in remorse, maybe even disappointment, for the teen boys who obviously had made a decision that would impact their lives greatly. By 7 a.m. there was more news -- one of the teens had been found and that police were still searching for one more.

I have a family member who worked in such a group facility! He was constantly challenged, not only by the environment and the long hours, but by the tremendous balance he had to strike with the teens. On one hand he truly loved his job and the kids, but on the other knew that letting them get out of hand was something he couldn't afford to do. It will be very interesting to hear the stories of these two young men and what exactly drove them to this point of having to strike out in the manner they did.

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Feb. 27

These are the comments that hit my Facebook page right when we hit the air around 5 a.m.

"I'm trying to imagine the conversation between husband and wife when he told her to get the AK, and the visual of her unloading the round into the back of the getaway car. Nice." Kipp

"That's some stand by your man type stuff!" Bobby

"LOL!! great story." Karen

What a story. You can feel it in this city; the anger toward crime is palpable! People want the streets back! For this couple to use a string with cans on it to set these thugs up was just great.

Can you just imagine what the thieves faces must have looked like? First imagine a old school method of cans tripping you up only to be shot at by an AK-47 held my a man's wife. According to the couples friend they have been the target of crime before and had decided enough was enough!

Great story and stay with us for later updates!

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Feb. 26

I'll tell you it's been awhile since we had to direct ourselves to Clayton County on an overnight story.

Early this a.m. we started our day on Riverdale Road where officers were in the middle of a "he said, she said." Yes, officers play this role often.

This one had an ex-boyfriend and the current boyfriend trading insults and threats and maybe even some guns pointed toward each other and someone had their homes door kicked in.

When we left one man was in custody, charged with armed robbery.

By the time we headed back toward our live truck we were already being alerted to a police chase and crash!

Our second camera crew was heading that way and we had to meet up to cover this story.

It was already 2:30 a.m., maybe 3:00 a.m. Once we arrived, Burton and Linkwood road in NW Atlanta was shutdown with Cobb police, and Atlanta police. Officers had chased a robbery suspect from Cobb, into Douglas and then down I-20 into Atlanta resulting in a black Yukon slamming into a power pole.

The suspect then tried to run--and in what has to be the dumb move of the night reached into his pocket like he had a weapon, according to police, before a Cobb officer opened fire, shooting the man in the leg. One other note, the truck not reported stolen, has a "personalized plate on the back." Makes it hard to get away with that on the back of your SUV!

We would learn later that the Cobb officers believed they were fired upon while pursuing the car down I-20!

The suspect is now at Grady and hopefully by noon time we will have more details.

Feb. 25

We are three for three this week, and that's not a good thing. Everyday so far intense orange flames have burst through a building, a house, and an apartment complex. This now seems like fire season, and that is certainly taking a toll on the fire crews who are having to manage more than just their overall numbers but also making sure they are ready for the next fire. This morning as we drove on the connector there was a familiar smell in the air and we started looking around the connector and right there near Turner Field-there was a fire. When we arrived at the Glenwood location one house was already gone; another would be damaged before the fire was knocked out. On the back end of this fire scene was a group of men who happen to be firefighters from Ohio who saw the fire like we did. They joined us and took photos and watched their "brothers and sisters" battle the 2-alarm blaze. They had heard about the cuts in our city and they simply said they hope “eventually the numbers of firefighters in our city will grow again and that you shouldn't cut safety."

Real quick--two notes! Allen thanks for this message! "I usually don't read blogs but I find your blogs to be very informative and quite interesting. Thanks for diving a little deeper into the stories that you cover." And last but not least if you’re interested check me out on Twitter! When we break for breaking news in the a.m. I will be there throughout the morning.

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Feb. 24

My feet are a bit damp and my clothes, well they smell like a 70's smoker’s jacket.

We covered a huge fire in southwest Atlanta this morning. The massive flames could be seen from 85--and the fire location was actually closer to I-20.

Now as a reporter, when you see flames like this (you can see pictures on the front page our Web site) your first hope is that everyone's going to be OK.

My second hope usually centers on wishing that the fire doesn't spread. Last but not least, I always hope that the men and women fighting the fire are safe.

With that said, some fires catch your eye; this was a spectacle to watch!

The intense orange of flames are better than any Hollywood light show; they amaze you. Getting water on and then beating down a working intense fire can take hours.

We worked from the front and the back and then to the side trying to get the perfect angle to capture the feeling of being there on the street.

If you have never seen a massive fire up close it's hard to fully feel on camera.

The scale of it just seems to pale in comparison to the real life image, and then add the smell and the feel of the heat.

Actually the smell alone could change you whole mental outlook as your lungs fill with a heaviness and it becomes harder and harder to breathe.

This fire is under investigation; a security guard told me he watches the homeless and some drug addicts use the building as a shelter especially when it gets cold.

Today an arson team will take over after all the hotspots are knocked out, they will look for the cause. The good news today when this was done it's believed that no one was hurt and every firefighter walked away unharmed.

From now on any fire in this city will have an extra microscope on it because of all the changes in fire service. It took 60 firefighters to fight this one and DeKalb sent crews to station 10 to provide back up for Atlanta fire. We have another reporter picking up this story and should there be updates they will be seen at 5 and 6.

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Feb. 19

So many things going on overnight the last two days. First the story that will impact so many today! The storms that ripped thru the area Wednesday leaving so many with-out power and some with smashed cars.

Our task Thursday morning was to find the hardest hit areas and of course get some video and get any necessary updates so as people got up they would know to be careful.

One issue we faced was the overall darkness, "pitch blackness" there was no power for most of the hard hit areas as we drove thru. We had to inch our way into many neighborhoods only to turn around several times because of down trees. Once we reached Spaulding County there was no problem finding trees and power lines again, down, twisted, and smashed.

We watched as crews cleared roads, moved live wires out of the road and started the process to reconnect power. The utility crews we met had already been on the road for more than 14 hours.

On one blocked road, we talked with a homeowner who described to us how his barn was torn apart, and his fence surrounding his horses got blown down as his dogs were thrown from their kennels.

Somehow despite the storms strength all the animals made it out safely and so did he and his wife.

Now as the morning continues and the sun is coming up we will gather more details and talk with more people about what the storm was like. Many so far just want to tell their story; folks came outside as the sunshine hit their rooftops thanking Channel 2 and "Glen Burns" for the critical information and help keeping them and their families safe as storm pushed thru.

While all this was going on a call came in from Atlanta Police with some great news a development in Wednesday's condo murder! Detectives say they have tracked down, arrested and charged a man they say murdered retired cancer researcher Eugenia Jeanne Calle.

Detectives tell me they have arrested Jamal Thompson for the murder! The crime shocked many who live in the heart of midtown condo. Police go on to say the motive for the crime was robbery.

Detectives believe the victim and her attacker had a chance meeting in the lobby of the Aqua Condo building as Thompson was looking at some units with a real estate agent.

The victim, Eugenia Calle, was apparently selling her unit and when Thompson came by to look at her unit police believe Thompson who has a criminal record, robbed Calle and ultimately hit her so hard he killed her before running off. We should also have an update on this case later on as well.

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Feb. 6

What long night for the Smith family, their son Jacob was missing since Thursday at 5 p.m. when his school bus dropped him off. His mother, who sits home waiting for the boy, was worried and frightened as the temperatures dropped as it became colder and colder.

Before I head out for work I always watch our 11 o’clock newscast, I knew the top story of a missing child would be one that I would follow.

Our crew arrived around 1 a.m. in Jonesboro relieving the other crew. We talked with the family and with police as they searched the area. As it became later you could feel the family’s anxiety, more friends showed up and then the family started to post fliers all around the area.

We hit the air at 5 and still no sign of the little boy. We would have at least 4 other lives shots and still nothing.

At 7:25 as we prepared for another live shot I heard a scream, they had found 11 year-old Jacob Smith.

Apparently the young man got into a little trouble at school and was scared to go home.

Instead of going home Jacob headed back to the school after the bus dropped him off; it’s about a 10 min walk.

Around 8:50 a.m. the young man with a cute smile didn’t know what to make of all the cameras starring at him when he got home.

The little man hidden behind his coat told his dad that he got scared when it became dark and instead of walking home in the dark he used his backpack as a pillow and his jacket as a blanket.

He was cold and lonely but the young man is now safe, and his parents exalted that he was home.