Gwinnett County

Man accused of hitting woman with chair, stealing car

By Tyisha Fernandes, WSB-TV
By Tyisha Fernandes, WSB-TV

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police are searching for a man who they say hit a woman in the head with a chair and put a gun in her face in order to steal her car and purse.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, said she first saw the suspect, Jeffery Merritt, on June 21 around 6 a.m., when she was leaving her Lawrenceville apartment for work.

“I spoke to him and said, 'Good morning.' As I got in my car and I was pulling out, I noticed he ran across the road, but I didn’t think anything of it because I assumed he was going to the bus stop,” she said.

She said she saw Merritt standing in front of her apartment the next morning.

“He was folding up a white chair and I’m, like, that seems odd, but I didn’t think anything of it because I had seen him the day before,” she said.

Police said Merritt hit the woman over the head with the folding chair.

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“He hit me hard enough to knock me out because I saw lights. When I fell, I fell on my purse. We struggled with the keys until I finally gave up,” the victim said.

Police said Merritt put a gun in the woman’s face and stole her purse and car.

Two weeks later, Doraville police pulled him over in the victim’s car and arrested him on unrelated charges.

Investigators said those officers didn’t realize Gwinnett County police were already looking for him and they didn’t realize the car was stolen.

“I get a call July 17 from Gwinnett County saying Doraville has my car and tells me where it is,” the victim said.

When she got to the impound lot, Merritt had already bailed out of jail and picked up her car.

He now has four warrants for his arrest.

The victim said she won’t have peace until the suspect is arrested.

“I just hope he’s caught before he does it to someone else. I walked away from it. They may not,” she said.

 

Cox Media Group

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