ATLANTA -- Police are now on the hunt for three men who stole, but soon abandoned, the safe from a popular Atlanta barbecue restaurant.
Police arrived at Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q around 4 a.m. Wednesday to find the door of the restaurant slightly ajar. As more officers arrived, they made entry to find the office area ransacked. The owner of the establishment later arrived, adding that while most everything appeared to still be there, one major item was missing - the safe.
And so investigators went to the security footage to glean a few answers. And the video didn't disappoint. At first, it showed two men enter the parking lot from the direction of Elmira Place NE. They soon pried the door open and went inside. They then removed the safe from its foundation and rolled it to the door.
It wasn't long after this that a dark, newer-model Ford Fiesta or Fusion pulled up and the men left. But they soon returned, and with the help of the driver managed to load the safe into the back of the car.
Later in the morning, around 4:34 a.m., a similar vehicle was spotted during an attempted break-in on Haygood Avenue SE. Police arrived to see two or three men who matched descriptions of the previous suspects running from a black 2016 Ford Fusion. Police weren't able to catch the men, but soon found a pretty large clue - a gray 200 to 300 pound safe with a Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q sticker on the front laying near the car.
The car was also processed and tracked back to its registered owner, D'Anthony M. Brown of 942 Hank Aaron Drive SE. It turned out that a warrant had already been issued for Brown's arrest due to a burglary investigation in Hall County.
While neither Brown nor the other suspects were apprehended, crime scene techs found several items left in the car including two cracked, white Apple iPhones, one black Apple watch, two photos of a tall black male, 46 boxes of Newport cigarettes and a large red cutting tool.
Police described the first suspect, believed to be Brown, as a tall black male with a low-trimmed beard and low-cut hair. He was wearing a black hoodie, black skinny pants and Jordan retro 12 shoes that were black and white. The second suspect was described as a man with a medium build and a clean-shaven face with medium length hair. He was wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and red shoes. Both initially had their faces covered but later revealed them.
The driver who showed up later was described as a heavyset black male who appeared to be bald. He was wearing a white tank top.
