Police
are
searching
for
a
man
believed
to
be
responsible
for
a
series
of
muggings
in
the
past
three
weeks
near
the
corner
of
10th
Street
and
Piedmont
Avenue.
According
to
police,
a
well-dressed
man
has
been
approaching
men
walking
alone
in
Midtown
and
threatening
them
for
money.
While
described
as
“polite,”
he
has
assaulted
one
victim
and
is
armed
with
a
handgun.
Although
the
victims
have
been
men
walking
alone
in
the
heart
of
Midtown,
Lt.
Stacy
Gibbs
of
the
Atlanta
Police
Department’s
Criminal
Investigation
Division
said
police
do
not
believe
the
suspect
is
targeting
gay
men.
“I
don’t
think
he’s
targeting
individuals
for
any
reason,”
she
said.
“I
just
think
he’s
in
the
area
because
there
are
a
lot
of
restaurants
and
activity
in
that
area,
and
people
walking
home
from
them.”
Gibbs
said
police
are
looking
for
an
African-American
man
in
his
late
20s
to
early
30s
with
light
brown
skin,
approximately
6-foot
to
6-foot-2-inches
in
height
with
low
cut
hair.
“He’s
going
to
be
very
well
kept,
very
engaging.
…
If
you
see
him,
you’re
not
going
to
think
he’s
out
of
place,”
Gibbs
said.
Police
believe
he
is
responsible
for
robberies
on
Oct.
31,
Nov.
4,
Nov.
6
and
Nov.
12.
The
robberies
have
taken
place
between
3
p.m.
and
1
a.m.,
and
at
least
two
have
involved
the
suspect
taking
his
victims
to
nearby
ATMs
to
withdraw
money.
The
suspect
has
apparently
talked
with
some
of
his
victims
at
length,
and
in
one
case
left
one
victim
with
some
money
because
he
said
he
felt
sorry
for
him,
Gibbs
said.
However,
she
cautioned
that
he
is
armed,
and
should
be
considered
dangerous.
Atlanta
Police
Department
GLBT
Liaison
Danni
Lee
Harris
said
there
are
several
steps
people
can
take
to
reduce
their
odds
of
being
attacked.
The
most
important
measure
is
to
travel
in
groups
as
much
as
possible.
“I
always
tell
people
when
they’re
traveling,
even
if
you’re
just
going
to
Blake’s,
always
try
to
travel
in
groups.
Strength
comes
in
numbers,”
Harris
said.
Those
who
do
travel
alone
should
ask
someone
to
escort
them
to
their
cars,
and
have
their
keys
at
the
ready,
Harris
added.
Keys
can
be
useful
weapons
if
the
need
arises
for
a
physical
confrontation.
Those
walking
home
should
avoid
leaving
while
impaired
by
drugs
or
alcohol,
Harris
said.
If
someone
does
have
to
walk
home
alone,
carrying
a
cell
phone
in
one’s
hand
can
scare
off
potential
attacks.
“That
really
is
a
good
way
to
ward
off
someone
because
they
might
feel
you
have
quicker
access
to
your
cell
phone
that
way,”
Harris
said.
She
suggested
having
911
on
speed
dial
and
in
case
of
an
attack
calling
out
your
location
because
the
city
does
not
have
the
ability
to
track
cell
phone
calls
yet.
Although
one
of
the
robberies
was
reported
to
have
taken
place
behind
Outwrite
Bookstore
&
Coffeehouse,
owner
Philip
Rafshoon
said
he
hasn’t
received
much
official
information
about
the
suspect.
“We
have
not
heard
much
about
it…
the
police
came
and
told
us
a
little
bit
about
what
was
going
on,
but
they
were
very
vague,”
Rafshoon
said,
adding
he’s
warned
his
staff
to
be
vigilant.
Across
the
street
from
Outwrite
at
the
Flying
Biscuit,
General
Manager
Spencer
Adair
said
he
was
warning
employees
to
take
their
aprons
off
and
leave
the
restaurant
in
groups,
since
servers
are
often
robbed
for
the
cash
they
carry.
“For
us
it’s
really
more
an
awareness
thing,”
Adair
said.
The
Midtown
Blue
Public
Safety
Force
has
a
surveillance
camera
at
the
corner
of
10th
and
Piedmont,
and
police
are
reviewing
the
tapes
for
clues.
Police
are
asking
anyone
with
information
to
contact
Crime
Stoppers
at
404-577-TIPS
or
www.crimestoppersatlanta.org.
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