Less than 24 hours after a South Fulton elementary school teacher was carjacked at gunpoint, her vehicle was used in a Gwinnett County home invasion that left one suspect injured, police said.
Police believe drugs were a factor in a Tuesday morning attempted robbery and shooting at a Peachtree Corners apartment complex.
Officers were called to the Fields at Peachtree Corners Apartments just before 4 a.m. after a man reported shooting at two people who broke into his home, Gwinnett police Cpl. Wilbert Rundles said.
The intruders ran and a 16-year-old located near the scene was taken into custody on robbery charges when police arrived, Rundles said. A second suspect who was shot during the alleged break-in drove off in a white Dodge Challenger reported stolen from Heritage Elementary School on Monday morning, authorities said.
The Dodge was recovered after someone called 911 in Atlanta to report its driver had been shot, Rundles said. The driver, identified as Antonio Nix, 19, of Covington, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was still recovering from his injuries Thursday morning.
“He got shot in Gwinnett and then fled the scene in that vehicle, leaving his buddy on scene,” Rundles told AJC.com.
Police said Tuesday morning’s incident was not a typical home invasion, and believe the suspects may have known the people who lived in the apartment. Two people were home during the break-in, police said, but neither was injured.
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
While Nix was charged Thursday with armed robbery, police said they are not sure if he’s the same person responsible for stealing the car from the elementary school Monday morning.
The teacher was carjacked in the parking lot of Heritage Elementary shortly after arriving to work, district officials said.
She had just pulled up about 6 a.m. when she was approached by a gunman. She remained calm, handed over her car keys and immediately called 911, principal Cheree Turner said in a letter to parents.
Investigators believe the carjacker arrived at the school in another stolen car with a bullet hole in the side. Fulton County Schools safety executive director Shannon Flounnory called it a crime of opportunity.
"I think he was looking for a way to ditch the previous car that was stolen to find another route to leave," Flounnory told Channel 2 Action News.
Later Monday, around school dismissal time, more than 15 gunshots fired at a nearby apartment complex forced a 20-minute lockdown. Officers searched the Biscayne Apartments on Old National Highway but did not find a shooter or anyone injured, the news station reported.
The lockdown was lifted once the area was secured and the issue was no longer a threat. In the wake of the carjacking, the school intends to extend its shifts for officers on campus.
"We're going to be changing work hours of some officers to ensure that from the time the first person comes into the building, that we have coverage," Flounnory said.
The school is located on Jolly Road and backs up to the apartment complex, which has been the site of multiple shootings in recent years. Last month, police arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with a parking lot shooting that seriously injured a man in 2018.
RELATED: Suspect captured nearly a year after parking lot shooting in South Fulton
Turner said the carjacking serves as a serious reminder for the Heritage community and staff.
“Statistically, school environments are still safer than surrounding communities,” she said. “Staff members must continue to exercise situational awareness when in isolated locations during early morning or late evening times.”
