DeKalb County

Police seeking man who they say attempted to steal woman's car at gunpoint

DECATUR, Ga. — City of Decatur police are trying to identify the suspect of an attempted carjacking last week.

The incident happened on Derrydown Way on Jan. 4. The suspect is still on the streets.

Police shared a sketch of the suspect Saturday. Police said the suspect is a black male, in his teens or early 20s, approximately six feet tall and slender. He was wearing a gray Under Armour sweatshirt, dark pants and tennis shoes, and he may be carrying a black semi-automatic weapon.

Channel 2's Michael Seiden was in Decatur, where police said the man threatened a driver with a gun.

Police said the woman pulled over because she was having car trouble. They say the suspect approached the victim and asked if he could use her phone. When she told him her phone was dead, he pointed a gun at her and forced her out of the car.

He didn't get very far. The woman's car had broken down. When he couldn't get it to start, he ran, possibly in the direction of the Avondale MARTA station. The victim was shaken but not injured.

Seiden spoke to neighbors, who said they are very concerned about their safety.

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"There's a lot of concern. There's a lot of nervousness," one resident said. "People are more watchful, you know, looking out for each other, and people are more careful when they're going out at night."

Investigators are hoping someone will recognize the man from the sketch.

Neighbors hope he's caught before he strikes again.

"We usually don't get this kind of activity around here, but I guess things are changing," a neighbor said.

Decatur police are asking anyone who recognizes him or has any information to contact Decatur police or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477).