The Blotter: Getaway car

In Midtown, a 25-year-old man strolled home from work along Peachtree Street. Suddenly, he saw a shocking sight: His own car was headed toward him driven by two strangers. The man watched in horror as his car stopped at the traffic light at Peachtree and 14th streets. The man raced over to his car, banged on the window, and yelled for the thieves to stop. He flung the door open and tried to overpower the thieves, but the traffic light turned green and the thieves sped away. A witness verified the man’s story to police. The 25-year-old said his car’s trunk has two prominent bumper stickers that read: “Don’t Tread on Me” and “University of North Carolina.”

Whip it good

As rush-hour traffic began in Downtown Atlanta, a 40-year-old man peered out his apartment window and saw a bizarre sight: A guy in a white T-shirt pulled out a whip and started whipping a car stopped at the intersection. Then the guy ran over and whipped another nearby car. The 40-year-old rushed downstairs to alert police and spotted Mr. Whip standing across the street, staring directly at him. Mr. Whip walked over and asked the 40-year-old if he’d “Thanked the Lord.” Stunned, the 40-year-old walked away. Mr. Whip started chasing him. As both men sprinted down Peachtree Street, Mr. Whip attempted to use his whip to lash his target. After several tries, Mr. Whip alledgedly landed one blow, barely whipping the 40-year-old’s face. The 40-year-old kept running, with Mr. Whip in pursuit, until they ran to a citizen ambassador who called police.

A cop arrested Mr. Whip, 21, and took him to jail. The 40-year-old was not seriously injured and refused the cop’s offer to call medics. The 40-year-old now has a court date to testify against Mr. Whip.

Cleaned out

In the middle of the night, a woman awoke to the sound of her basement door slamming shut. She bolted from her bedroom and saw two middle-aged men running down the street, carrying her washing machine. Later, a cop arrived at the woman’s home to look for clues. “The door, which was painted black, was not damaged or tampered with,” the cop noted. “The paint was not scratched anywhere near the lock.” The cop asked the woman if she was sure her basement door was locked. The woman said her children’s father was in charge of moving the washing machine into the basement, and she just assumed that he’d locked the door.

Pop culture excuse

A 38-year-old man said he was walking in East Atlanta when a guy in a flannel shirt with a red bandanna over his face tried to rob him at gunpoint. First, the flannel-shirt suspect pointed a gun at his head, then at his stomach. “Give me everything in your pockets,” the suspect demanded. The 38-year-old turned his pockets inside out and opened his wallet, revealing nothing inside. No cash. No debit cards. Nada. Apparently, flannel-shirt man became frustrated because his target had nothing of value — or he tried to turn the whole episode into a joke. Flannel-shirt man shoved his gun back into his waistband and sprinted from the scene, yelling, “You’re on ‘Candid Camera!’”

Trouble in L5P

A 33-year-old man in camouflage pants was sitting outside a convenience store with “blood running down his face” from a cut on his forehead, a cop noted. The man said that earlier, a guy nicknamed “Tattoo” roughed him up in Little Five Points Plaza. The cop asked for more details, noting, “Trying to illicit [sic] further information ... proved to be a difficult task, because the man said he did not want to be a snitch.” Eventually, the man said Tattoo bit him on his right arm and right nipple. Also, Tattoo kept screaming, “You motherfucker!” The man said Tattoo has “handlebars on his face.” Eventually, the cop deduced that Tattoo has a handlebar mustache.

The man wanted to press charges against Tattoo, saying, “He needs to get his ass beat, but I guess I wasn’t the one to do it.” The cop wrote down everything in a report and asked the man how he could be contacted for a follow-up interview. The man became very evasive. Eventually, the man admitted that he often sleeps “on Ponce” and does not have a phone number. Also, the man said he’s had a problem with methamphetamines since he was 15 years old. The cop took him to Grady Memorial Hospital to get his forehead wound treated.

Items in the Blotter are taken from actual Atlanta police reports. The Blotter Diva compiles them and puts them into her own words.