ATLANTA -- A man was shot after attempting to stop a group of men from robbing his friend as she got into her car outside a restaurant in the East Atlanta Village, according to police.
The victim told police he was leaving Flatiron Bar and Restaurant on Flat Shoals Avenue SE with his girlfriend and another woman just after 12 a.m. Tuesday. The man and his girlfriend watched their friend walk toward her car, heading east on Glenwood Avenue. As she opened her car door, the men rushed up and pointed a gun in her face and stole her purse, according to the police report.
The woman told police she first noticed the four men, dressed in black, parked in a black sedan a few car-lengths away. She continued walking to her car when the men ran up, pointed a gun in her face and stole her purse.
She began yelling for help and her male friend rushed toward her and the armed suspects began firing in his direction, according to police.
Man shot outside East Atlanta Village restaurant after attempting to protect friend from robbery
“It seems like the suspects were here canvassing the area when the victim walked past their vehicle,” said Captain Reginald Moorman with the Atlanta Police Department.
The male friend had a gun and was reaching for it when he was shot, according to the report. His weapon was booked into evidence and he was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition, Moorman said.
Two of the suspects took off in the sedan heading east on Glenwood Avenue and the other two suspects ran on foot into the parking lot of Peter Pan Early Childcare, Mooreman said.
A black t-shirt was found on the ground next to the woman’s car. She told police it belonged to one of the suspects. A car parked nearby was hit by bullets, which ricocheted into a construction gate nearby.
Atlanta police are reviewing surveillance video from nearby restaurants and canvassed the area but no arrests have been made. The woman said the men stole her black Michael Kors purse that contained her identification, a rose gold iPhone 7 Plus and credit cards.
Atlanta Police describe the suspects as four black males in a dark, newer-model sedan with a temporary license plate. No other suspect information has been released.