Suspect threatened to shoot 2 officers before stealing patrol car: warrants

ATLANTA — A man accused of a violent robbery threatened to shoot officers before taking off in their patrol car, according to arrest warrants.

Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb obtained the warrants filed for Phelan Thorpe.

Atlanta officers responded to Thomasville Drive on Monday to reports of a wanted man armed with a gun. Police say a man, identified as Thorpe, threatened to shoot the officers.

What we’re learning about the suspect and his connection to another crime, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 p.m.

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Officers pulled out their guns before Thorpe got into their police cruiser and took off, according to the warrants.

Police say Thorpe led officers on a chase that lasted at least eight miles from Atlanta into Clayton County. NewsChopper 2 flew over the crash scene after Thorpe crashed into a moving tanker on Interstate 675.

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The warrants reveal why police believe Thorpe is the same man who attacked and robbed a woman near the Midtown MARTA station on Saturday.

The woman told police that a man followed her, grabbed her purse, knocked her down and hit her in the back before stealing her iPhone.

Investigators say MARTA surveillance, a Breeze card and location data from the stolen phone helped them identify Thorpe as the suspect.

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