Family unloading SUV at little league game has vehicle stolen by sliders

ATLANTA — Opening day of Little League Baseball turned terrifying for a metro family when their car was stolen as it was being unloaded near the ball fields at a metro park.

The incident happened at Chastain Park on Saturday shortly before 1 p.m. in the roundabout near Wilkins Field.

In an email sent from Josh Burr, executive director of the Northside Youth Organization, a family was unloading their SUV when it was stolen.

Witnesses told Channel 2 Action News that another car pulled up to the SUV, and someone hopped out and stole the SUV.

“She was pulling all of their stuff out of the trunk and three of the four car doors were open as well. As her son was getting his second leg out of the car, someone… jumped in the car and drove 50+ miles per hour out of the NYO parking lot,” a witness said in a post on the Nextdoor app.

Atlanta police said the vehicle was still running when it was stolen.

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“While the impact of being left standing alone in the parking lot was stunning enough, it was the speed at which the individuals who stole the car drove as they made their way out of the lot that was the most concerning. My understanding is that children and adults were everywhere, and that we were lucky that nobody was injured,” Burr said in his email to families.

Signs at the park showed that Saturday was opening day for the NYO Little League season.

In his email, Burr said he would meet with Atlanta police and other community partners “to devise an even more encompassing plan to keep families safe.”

Over the last few weeks, Channel 2 Action News has been reporting on what seems to be a spike in crime throughout the Buckhead community.

Last week, we reported that the Buckhead Community Improvement District, or BCID, is paying to add four off-duty officers to patrol throughout the area.

“By May, we will have added 14 new cameras and 14 new license plate readers in Buckhead. It serves both as a deterrent as well as helps the detectives solve crimes once they’re committed,” said Jim Durrett, executive director of BCID.

There was even a proposal to form a City of Buckhead, which Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms said wouldn’t cure the problem.

In a recent interview with Channel 2′s Michael Seiden, Atlanta Police Maj. Andrew Senzer defended his fellow officers, saying the uptick in crime can be blamed on several factors, including the pandemic, social unrest and staffing.

“For the past five to six months, you know, we now have an emboldened criminal population that has not been held accountable because the courts have been closed, the jail(s) have COVID-related restrictions,” Senzer said.

He told Seiden that one of the most frustrating issues police are facing is criticism from the public, who believe officers aren’t doing enough proactive policing to combat the crime.

City Councilman who supports more security in Buckhead says more cameras going up soon The new year has brought a new surge in car-related crimes in the Buckhead area.

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