ATLANTA — The woman who says she was attacked in broad daylight in Midtown says the ordeal has continued to weigh on her, even after the suspect was arrested.
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Amaris Coleman told Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb that she still does not feel safe after police say Phelan Thorpe attacked her, stole her phone and later used it to leave a threatening voicemail.
In the voicemail, the person Coleman says is Thorpe demands $600 through Cash App and says he knows where she lives.
“He’s boasting about the fact that he knows where I stay at,” Coleman said.
Police say Thorpe was later tracked to Thomasville Drive, where officers said he threatened to shoot them before getting into an Atlanta police cruiser and taking off. Police say he eventually crashed the cruiser into a tanker truck on I-675.
Coleman said the voicemail brought the attack back to her.
“I will say I don’t feel safe. And I probably won’t feel safe for a long time,” she said.
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Now, an Atlanta city councilmember says he wants answers about what the city is doing to address safety concerns following the attack.
Councilmember Michael Julian Bond, who serves on the City Council’s Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee, said he plans to press Atlanta police for answers during an upcoming committee meeting.
“It is beyond outrageous that a menace to society can be seen committing such a heinous attack in broad daylight,” Bond said in a statement Wednesday.
Bond said the safety of people in the area and the Georgia State University community is a priority for him.
“I fully intend to press the Atlanta Police Department for answers on what the City is doing to ensure Atlantans can simply cross the road without fearing they will be brutally and senselessly attacked,” Bond said.
A judge has also denied bond on one of Thorpe’s latest charges. The District Attorney’s Office said it does not expect him to be released before trial.
Coleman said she hopes the attention on her case leads to changes that help others feel safer.
The investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing.
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