A man accused of attacking and robbing a Georgia State University student in Midtown Atlanta was arrested after police say he later stole an Atlanta Police patrol car and crashed it into a tanker truck on I-675.
Atlanta police identified the suspect as Phelan Thorpe, 30. Investigators say Thorpe followed a woman from the Midtown MARTA station Saturday before confronting her near 10th Street and West Peachtree Street.
Police said the suspect claimed to have a gun and demanded the woman’s purse and iPhone. Surveillance video released by the Atlanta Police Department shows a struggle in the intersection. Police say the woman was punched before her phone and driver’s license were taken.
The investigation took another turn Monday when officers located Thorpe while responding to Thomasville Drive SE.
According to arrest warrants obtained by WSB-TV, Thorpe allegedly threatened to shoot two officers before getting into a marked Atlanta Police patrol vehicle and driving away. Police say the pursuit stretched roughly eight miles into Clayton County.
The stolen cruiser eventually crashed into a tanker truck on I-675 near Forest Parkway. Thorpe suffered minor injuries and was taken into custody. Police reported no injuries to officers or other civilians.
FOX 5 reported Tuesday that the victim, Georgia State University senior Amaris Coleman, later discovered a threatening message had been placed on the voicemail greeting of her stolen phone. Coleman told the station the incident has left her feeling nervous and unsafe.
Thorpe waived his first court appearance. FOX 5 reports a judge granted him a $67,000 bond, although jail records showed he remained in custody as of Tuesday.
The case remains under investigation.
Featured image: Atlanta Police Department
Sources: Atlanta Police Department, WSB-TV, FOX 5 Atlanta, CBS Atlanta.
