A man is wanted in Atlanta after police said he kidnapped women and robbed them at gunpoint on more than one occasion.
Investigators have released surveillance video and a sketch of the suspect, who is believed to be connected to at least two robberies.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
The first occurred Sept. 25, according to Atlanta police spokesman Officer Anthony Grant.
The victim, Robin Cauthen, told Channel 2 Action News she had just finished getting her hair done at a salon in the 2300 block of Piedmont Road. When she returned to her Jeep, the man walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle and got in the backseat.
“At the exact same time I’m getting in, this man is getting in,” Cauthen told the news station. “He said, ‘Drive or I’m going to blow your (expletive) head off.'”
The suspect forced Cauthen to drive to a nearby bank and withdraw $700 in cash, police said. Along the way, she told the man she is a mother of two and a breast cancer survivor.
That’s when the armed robbery suspect became emotional, Cauthen told Channel 2. He identified himself as “Robert” and told her he needed the money to feed his young son. He also acknowledged that what he was doing was wrong.
“He said, ‘Well, don’t act like it’s OK what I’m doing. It’s not OK,'” Cauthen recalled.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
She eventually dropped the man off at a gas station near Atlantic Station, but not before offering her attacker a few parting words.
“Robert, I want you to be the man you want your son to be,” Cauthen told him.
Her advice didn’t stick. Two days later, investigators said the man kidnapped and robbed another woman in the 700 block of Sidney Marcus Boulevard. The woman did not report the incident until the following day, Grant said.
According to police, the second victim said she was filling up her car at a gas station about 1 p.m. When she got back into her car, she heard a man’s voice coming from the backseat.
“The unknown male told her to drive and to not turn around,” Grant said. “The male demanded that she go to an ATM to withdraw cash.”
He took $200 in cash from the woman’s purse, and when they arrived at the ATM he made her withdraw $800 more, Grant said. He then told her drop him off in an area she was not familiar with.
“Before getting out of her vehicle, the suspect told her not to call police or he would harm her and that was the reasoning for her delayed reporting of the incident to police,” Grant said.
Anyone with information on the man’s identity or whereabouts is asked to contact Atlanta 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.
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