At 10 p.m. on Aug. 30, while most Grady students lamented the Knights’ 7-6 loss to Decatur High School’s football team, the majority of Decatur students were likely celebrating their triumph over one of their rivals. But for three Decatur students, the night ended on an extremely negative note.
According to City of Decatur Police Department incident reports, all three of the students were robbed of their iPhones while walking away from the game.
The first student was confronted at 10:05 p.m. while walking by the school’s JROTC room with his friend. The student and a friend were approached by two males who asked for the time. One of the males was described as wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. The victim pulled his iPhone 4S out of his pocket and stated the time. They then walked in the direction of the victim’s friend’s house. When the two reached Renfroe Middle School, across the street from DHS, the victim and his friend were assaulted from behind by the same males. The victim felt an unknown object in his back, and one of the male assailants demanded his phone. The victim handed it over and was then pushed to the ground as the two males ran away. The victim reported seeing one of the thieves carrying a silver, semiautomatic firearm.
Approximately 20 minutes later, at 10:26 p.m., a female student was walking to the school’s upper parking lot on McDonough Street. As she was ascending the stairs, the victim was ambushed by two males according to an incident report. One placed what the victim believed to be a gun to her neck and forcefully took her iPhone 5 from her purse, while the other suspect pushed her to the ground. Although she felt something placed on her neck, the victim never actually saw the gun. The two attackers were both described as wearing dark jeans, one with a black shirt and the other with a gray sweatshirt.
The third robbery occurred just minutes later at 10:52 p.m. on the sidewalk directly in front of the school. The victim was walking with four of his friends near the intersection of McDonough Street and East Maple Street when he noticed three males approaching them. According to the incident report one of them asked him what time it was and, when the victim pulled out his iPhone 4, the male said, “Yo, give me that phone.”
Before the victim could respond, one of the other suspects placed a gun to his neck. The victim gave up his phone and the three suspects walked away. The four friends who witnessed the crime confirmed the victim’s story, but none could provide a description of the gun. They did however, provide a description of the suspects: one was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and black shorts; the next had on a red jacket and black shorts; and the last was clothed in a red shirt and blue jeans.
While it may seem unlikely, the three robberies appear to be unrelated based on the descriptions of the suspect, who were all seen wearing different clothing. The anonymous victims all declined to comment.
To avoid situations like these, Grady resource officer Antwan Denson suggests walking in groups.
“I wouldn’t advise females to walk alone, but just to have a male companion,” he said. “Or if you are walking alone make sure you stay on the phone speaking with someone, you know, talking to them as they get to their vehicle.”
Even after hearing about the robberies after the Decatur game, Denson still feels football games are safe.
“There are a lot of police officers inside and outside the stadium, in the parking lots, coming to and from the games,” he said. “So yes, I do believe that the football games are a safe environment.”
