A UPS driver who failed to make his scheduled deliveries Tuesday morning was eventually discovered tied up and locked inside his tractor-trailer in an abandoned lot in northwest Atlanta.
Atlanta police said the driver had just left a UPS facility on Fulton Industrial Boulevard about 3:30 a.m. when he was kidnapped at gunpoint at an intersection. While the driver was not injured, cargo was stolen from the truck in what appeared to be an elaborate robbery scheme.
Police began their investigation about 9:15 a.m. after UPS employees discovered the truck on Maynard Court just off Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, an area formerly known as Bankhead Court. An employee told police they tracked the vehicle there with GPS after it was reported overdue.
“While the truck was stopped at a traffic light, a person armed with a firearm got into the vehicle and forced the victim to drive to Bankhead Court,” a police spokesperson said in the statement. “Once there the suspect, along with others, tied the victim up and stole cargo from the tractor-trailer.”
Police said about one-quarter of the cargo was taken from the truck and moved into another vehicle that was waiting in the abandoned lot.
A spokesperson for UPS said the company was thankful its driver was safe but deferred all other questions to police.
The suspects have not been identified, and an investigation continues.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
