Atlanta

Atlanta police bodycam video shows officers running after, arresting robbery suspect

ATLANTA — A 30-year old Atlanta man is in jail after police said he tried to rob some people on Metropolitan Drive in southwest Atlanta and then ran away once Atlanta police arrived.

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Police said they were called out to 1217 Metropolitan Parkway on Sunday night, Nov. 28 regarding an armed man in the parking lot.

When officers arrived, they said multiple people flagged them down and said the man robbed them at gun point. Bodycam video posted by the Atlanta Police Department shows the officers being flagged down on arrival and the man running away.

Atlanta Zone 3 Officers Engage in Foot Chase with Armed Robbery Suspect-Pursuit Ends with Suspect in Metal Bracelets On November 28, 2021, Atlanta Police Officers were called to 1217 Metropolitan Parkway regarding a suspicious person, armed with a gun. As officers arrived on scene, they were flagged down by several people who advised they had been robbed at gun point by the suspicious person. As officers were being flagged down, the suspect began to run. The suspect ran and hid multiple times before entering a vacant home. Officers surrounded the home and obtained a search warrant to enter. However, prior to officers making entry, the suspect fled and was captured a short distance away. Officers recovered the suspect’s firearm and the victims’ property inside the home where the suspect had been hiding. The suspect apparently lost a shoe during the pursuit and sustained a laceration to his foot but was otherwise uninjured. We are extremely proud of the determination exhibited by our officers in tracking this suspect. This incident lasted more than three hours, with multiple foot pursuits before spending nearly two hours standing outside a home, waiting to make entry. This suspect was fast on his feet but was no match for our determined officers. #APDProud #WeCatchBadGuys #NotOnOurWatch #WeStayReady

Posted by City of Atlanta Police Department on Friday, December 3, 2021

The officers drove down the street after the man they identified as 30-year-old John Mitchell of Atlanta and eventually jumped out of their patrol car to chase Mitchell on foot for several blocks.

They said Mitchell hid several times before ending up in a vacant home where he was surrounded by police. By law, APD officers had to wait for a search warrant to enter the home. By the time the warrant arrived, Mitchell had run from the home and was caught a short distance away.

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Police said once they got inside the vacant home, they found a gun they believe belongs to Mitchell and items he’d taken from the victims down the street. They said Mitchell lost a shoe and cut his foot during the chase him but was not otherwise injured.

Atlanta police said the incident lasted over three hours before they were able to take Mitchell into custody and get him booked into the Fulton County Jail.

Mitchell is facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and obstruction.

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