Suspicious activity near campus could involve possible robbery suspect
The Emory Police Department has issued a warning advising motorists to use
caution when approached by persons requesting assistance. They report that
early in the morning of Nov. 26, an Egleston Hospital employee who was driving
to work was flagged down by a male on North Decatur Road near Briarcliff.
The man claimed his wife was pregnant and needed medical care. The man tried
to open the driver's car door, but the driver refused to let him into the
vehicle. An hour later, the DeKalb County Police responded to a call in
the same area in which an Emory Clinic employee reported that she recognized
a male who had robbed her the week before. She had been flagged down at
the intersection of Moreland and Ponce De Leon avenues on Nov. 21 by a man
claiming to be an Emory physician. The man pulled a handgun and forced her
to drive to an ATM and withdraw money.
These incidents are similar to the frauds that occurred near campus last
summer. A man claiming to be an Emory physician had stopped drivers and
asked to borrow cash to reclaim his impounded auto. He never used any force
or threats, but he did become increasingly insistent and verbally abusive
of people reluctant to give him money. The Emory Police Department recommends
that drivers keep their doors locked and windows closed. If someone is approached
by a person in distress, they advise drivers to remain inside their cars
and offer to contact the police from a nearby telephone.
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