Residents Want Park Crime Answers

A few weeks ago, a man watching a baseball game was attacked at a Gwinnett County park. Two men beat the victim and stole his car at Mountain Park in Stone Mountain.

Neighbors met with police on Monday night about the increase in crime in the park and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Crowds of families were nearby when the attack occurred, which has fueled concerns of safety for those there.

A crowd of nearly 90 people gathered on Monday evening for a community forum to get some answers to those concerns.

Gwinnett police called the community meeting to address the concerns after a man was attacked at Mountain Park by two men armed with a semi-automatic pistol.

"My own personal safety, the kids using the park -- everyone using the park," said resident Sharon Middlebrooks.

The robbery is raising concerns about the increasing amount of crime residents are seeing around public parks. Gwinnett police admit the are stretched thin with 12 park police officers to patrol 35 public parks in a rapidly changing county.

Which is why police said that members of the community are key to policing areas like Mountain Park, and proactively preventing crime.

Police said that it is just as easy as simply being aware of your surroundings.

The investigation is continuing into the assault at Mountain Park. Police said the suspects are still on the loose. The victim said he was able to identify the attackers by way of surveillance video from an armed robbery that happened last week at a Chevron station nearby.