Masked man wielding machete breaks in, steals mail from midtown Atlanta condos, police say
By ALLEN DEVLIN
Click here for updates on this story
ATLANTA (WGCL) — A midtown condo complex is on edge after security camera footage showed a masked man break into their mailroom around 1:38 a.m. Monday with a crowbar and then use a large machete to break into mailboxes, stealing the letters and parcels inside.
“I was just kind of chuckling up until the point…when he just brings out that machete that looks like the size of my forearm,” said Taylor Kern, a resident of the complex who installed the security camera after receiving HOA approval following three other mail theft incidents in the building this year. “I think about the people in the building, anyone could have gone out there.”
Mail thefts and porch pirate crimes pick up this time of year as online shopping peaks during the holiday seasons. Millions of people order packages gifts and send money to one another through the month of December and many thieves take advantage. But it’s the choice of tool that the masked man used to break in that concerns residents, prompting questions on what would have happened had a resident came to check the mail at the time of the theft.
“It’s just the frustration from the cost standpoint and the annoyance of it, but I think the light of them seeing the machete, it makes [residents] uneasy because someone that just wants mail versus, I feel like when you come in with that your intent might be more than just taking mail.”
The complex, which has asked not to be identified out of fear of copy cat thieves, has filed a report with the Atlanta Police Department and intends on upping security measures in the mailroom and around the building.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
