In the wake of yet another series of break-ins in the downtown Tucker area, its mayor at an Aug. 5 press conference issued a stern warning to the criminals – “We will find you and we will apprehend you, and we will make your lives miserable.”
He announced two initiatives designed to deter the activity – a matching grant program for businesses that install or maintain security systems and a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the “organizers” of the efforts.
Three more business break-ins occurred the night before at Baraka Shwarma, 2247 Idlewood Rd., El Taco Naco, 2255 Idlewood Rd., and Paramount Coffee, 2245 Idlewood Rd. As with the past incidents, the attacks involved suspects throwing rocks through doors or windows and stealing cash registers. Other break-ins occurred in Gwinnett County, he said.
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Auman said the latest incidents and the ones before them “are very intentional.”
“It starts with stealing a car, which is driven by an adult who is targeting the businesses,” he said. “Then they pull up in front, throw a rock through the door, and race to the cash register.”
The stolen vehicle and the cash registers are quickly abandoned. Auman said youth as young as 12 years old have participated in the crimes.
“We are not going to be content to stand by and accept some level of crime as a normal existence,” he said. “We will find you and we will apprehend you, and we will make your life miserable, including appearing at your sentencing hearing. If this is happiness for you, you will need to find your happiness elsewhere.”
Auman said the Tucker Downtown Development Authority, at its regular Aug. 4 meeting, authorized Downtown Facade Grant Program funds for businesses installing or maintaining security systems with a 75 percent match up to $10,000 for additional measures.
“If you have or install, and continue to operate, a qualifying security/alarm system, our DDA will then match 75 percent of the cost of other improvements, like break-proof or shatterproof glass, glass break detection devices and related equipment,” Auman said. “That is, we want to help you help yourselves, and will cover 75 percent of the cost, up to $10,000.”
“We need our business owners to harden their own defenses,” he said.
In addition, the city, along with a private donor, is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the organizers behind the thefts.
“I’m inviting all the people here and the organizations they represent to contribute to making that even larger. I want to say specifically to our young people who may know who has been involved in these crimes – who themselves have in fact been victimized by the adults who are using and abusing them – this money could be yours if you provide helpful information,” Auman said. “I am convinced that if we apprehend these perpetrators, we will also be sending a strong message to anyone who might think they’d like to adopt Tucker as an available territory for their criminal activity.”
Auman said more than 200 marked police cars have patrolled Main Street in the last seven days, but added that it is difficult to predict when the incidents will happen.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
