Atlanta CAR BREAK-IN Turns Deadly: Cadillac Owner Shoots Suspected Thief

A Cadillac owner shot and killed one of three criminals accused of breaking into his car late Monday night in downtown Atlanta, according to authorities.

It was the latest incident in a string of car break-ins that resulted in shootings throughout metro Atlanta and Georgia. Around 11:30 p.m., officers responded to the 200 block of Auburn Avenue, where they discovered four persons shot, including the automobile owner and a man who was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency personnel. The site is very close to the Municipal Market and I-85.

The deceased suspect’s name had not been revealed by Wednesday afternoon because his next of kin had not been notified, according to a Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office investigator.

Homicide commander Lt. Andrew Smith told Channel 2 Action News that the owner of the red Cadillac engaged the three males, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.

The automobile owner and injured suspects were transported a short distance to Grady Memorial Hospital, where they are claimed to be stable. Police did not indicate whether they would face prosecution after they were released. Their names were not given. Before the shooting, authorities told the television station that the victim had attended a nearby business meeting to discuss plans for a new nightclub on Auburn Avenue.

“They were meeting to prepare for an upcoming opening. “But it was not open at the time,” Smith explained.

Channel 2 reports that investigators are sure to have video footage of the shooting.

The most recent shooting involving a car break-in occurred last month when a South Georgia police officer encountered a suspect breaking into automobiles in Statesboro and was shot. The defendant was caught, and the officer received surgery at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah.

In February, an Atlanta police sergeant patrolling the area of Forsyth and Brotherton streets saw a man in the backseat of a vehicle with damaged windows. The officer instructed the man to reveal his hands before firing into the car at the suspect, who was shot in the head but is likely to survive, according to authorities.

Shots were fired the month before during two separate car break-ins in South Georgia and DeKalb County. On January 14, a Hahira police shot a teenager who ran after being accused of breaking into cars with a teen accomplice. Both were arrested, according to police. Three days later, a 15-year-old kid was arrested for allegedly shooting at an off-duty police who attempted to stop an apparent auto break-in in DeKalb.

On September 3, 2023, a valet was fatally shot after spotting a man attempting to break into someone he knew’s truck outside a LongHorn Steakhouse near Uptown Atlanta, formerly known as Lindbergh City Center. The defendant was arrested and charged with murder.

In August, three persons were shot, two of whom were kids, after two metro Atlanta homeowners noticed them apparently breaking into cars. In one instance in South Fulton’s Magnolia Walk area, a 16-year-old pulled out a gun and shot a resident, who returned fire and shot the kid in the head, police said. Just 24 hours later, a homeowner approached two individuals who looked to be breaking into a vehicle. One of the suspects drew a revolver and pointed it, but the homeowner opened fire, killing both of them, one of whom was a youngster, authorities said.

In an earlier incident in May 2023, a man was shot in Atlanta’s Castleberry Hill area after confronting someone attempting to break into a vehicle. According to authorities, the guy was observed driving a gray Maserati with a temporary tag.

In January 2023, a man was killed and a 15-year-old child was hospitalized after a suspected auto break-in resulted in a shooting on the 3400 block of Shepherds Path in DeKalb. Police believe a kid and perhaps two other suspects were breaking into automobiles in the neighborhood when they were challenged by the guy, who had gone outside to collect something from his vehicle. A altercation erupted, and gunfire was exchanged, resulting in the man’s death, authorities said.