ATLANTA — Weeks after a woman was cut with a knife and threatened to be killed then robbed in an Atlanta Home Depot parking lot, police now say they've arrested a suspect in the case.
The 64-year-old man is facing armed robbery and aggravated assault charges, among others. Atlanta Police said he has a vast criminal history, with 45 arrest cycles in the Peach State and two in the state of New York. He was convicted of a felony for the first time in 1974 for burglary, with most prison stints since then being related to burglary or forgery offenses, according to Atlanta Police.
Authorities caught him this time after an "extensive" search, in which investigators found surveillance video of him fleeing the parking lot of the Home Depot at 2525 Piedmont Road NE on a MARTA train after the Feb. 24 robbery.
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He allegedly let himself inside a woman's front passenger car door while she was sitting in the driver's seat, held a knife to her throat and demanded cash. That's when police said he also threatened to kill her.
The victim told 11Alive's Hope Ford, "He was sitting right next to me and he grabs my right wrist and in his right hand he has a knife. And it went to my throat and said he was going to f****** kill me.”
According to Atlanta Police, the woman was sliced on her chest and cut on her left hand before the suspect hopped out the car with her gold medallion necklace and some money.
When the victim learned of the suspect's past, she was shocked.
"Why is he on the streets? The system is broken. The system is broken. It makes me sad.” She said.
She believes unless the suspect sees real jail time, he'll just have the confidence to do it again to someone else.
“He sauntered away from me," she said. "I mean, he did not run, he did not skip. I mean it’s kind of like, you can’t touch me kind of attitude.”
After police put out a lookout with the man's description, a detective assigned to the case spotted him near their Public Safety Headquarters and he was later identified. The detective then issued an arrest warrant for the suspect.
"The Atlanta Police Department is extremely proud of the hard work, dedication and attention to detail that it took to close this case. APD would also like to recognize the assistance of the MARTA Police Department. The relationship established between APD and the MARTA Police Department has proven to be beneficial to both agencies and helps to ensure that the City of Atlanta is safe for those that live, work, travel, and play throughout our communities," Atlanta Police wrote in a statement.