DeKalb County

Man confronts group breaking into cars, leading to shootout

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a man tried to stop a group of thieves he saw breaking into cars -- but it ended up leading to a shootout.

Channel 2's Kristen Holloway was at the Creekside Apartments off Pleasantdale Road in DeKalb County, where police said a man in the neighborhood saw at least three people trying to break into cars Friday morning.

Police say the man tried to stop the thieves by blocking them in with his car until police came. Investigators say the suspects plowed into the the man's car and started shooting at him. The man fired back and the suspects took off.

Neighbor Renee Jordan woke up to hear the chaos.

"I heard about five gunshots going off this morning, which caused me to jump out of my bed and go down to the floor," Jordan said.

During the shootout, one suspect was hit in the leg. Police said the thieves left their car in neutral and it rolled back and hit the man they were shooting at. The man's BMW was left heavily damaged.

The suspect who was shot in the leg is being treated at the hospital. Another suspect is in jail and one is still on the run. All three face a long list of charges.

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Gregory Hammock was surprised the man took it upon himself to try to stop the thieves.

"He went out of his way to do a little more to block them in," Hammock said. "I think it was kind of dangerous, because that's the whole reason they shot at him. They were trying to run."

Jordan said this incident has changed how she plans to deal with crime in her neighborhood.

"I definitely plan on strapping up, because unfortunately, things are changing," Jordan said. "We're living in critical times right now and for those that are able to carry, it's time to protect yourself."