ATLANTA — A day after the Atlanta Police Department implemented a no-chase policy, the alleged suspects in an attempted carjacking were able to get away.
At around 11:50 p.m. on Saturday, officers were dispatched to a valet stand outside Sugar Factory along Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.
According to police, a woman had just arrived to valet park her car. She exited, taking the keys with her, and handed them to a valet employee. Moments later, police said a male suspect got into her vehicle, and tried to steal it. Only thing missing were the keys.
"One of the valet employees ran and removed the suspect from the vehicle. Another valet observed a getaway vehicle nearby and he began to approach that vehicle," Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos said. "A male occupant of the suspect vehicle produced a firearm and pointed it at the valet."
Campos said the valet employees were "paying attention to their surroundings and quickly noticed what was happening and took action."
He added: "While we would caution people in intervening in property crimes, we are appreciative of their response and very thankful no one was seriously injured in this incident."
Campos said the first suspect ran and got into the suspect vehicle and all suspects fled the scene.
Officers later found the suspect vehicle in the area and tried to pull it over in a traffic stop. The vehicle refused to stop and continued driving off, traveling west on 10th Street, police said.
Just one day prior, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields announced the police department would be implementing the no-chase policy, effective immediately. She mentioned in a letter to her staff that she realizes this will "not be a popular decision" and that "this decision may drive crime up."
In a statement following the weekend's incident, Campos said this:
"We stand by the decision to temporarily implement a zero-chase policy. We have some of the best investigators in the business and have been extremely successful in identifying and apprehending criminals, utilizing investigative means other than pursuits. We will continue with these methods and we have confidence that we will continue to be successful in our efforts to bring those who choose to perpetrate crimes in our city to justice."
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