Kasim Reed campaigners robbed at gunpoint
Updated at 3:40 p.m.:
The Atlanta mayoral campaign of Kasim Reed just identified the two campaign workers who were robbed at gunpoint on Monday. One was Olympic gold medalist and track star Monique Hennagan, who won gold medals in the 1,600-meter relay in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. The other volunteer was identified as deputy field director Tyler Pryor.
Original post:
This note below was just sent to us from the Atlanta mayoral campaign of Kasim Reed. For the moment, they’re withholding the name of the former Olympic gold medalist who was one of the victims:
On Monday evening around 8:15pm, two Kasim Reed for Mayor staff members were robbed at gunpoint outside of the campaign headquarters on Ralph David Abernathy in the West End. A male staff member was escorting a female canvasser to her car after closing the office.
As they walked, they were accosted by an armed gunman who pointed his weapon and demanded they drop their car keys on the ground. They were then asked to back away at which point both employees turned to run down the street to a nearby Wendy’s where they called the police.
Atlanta Police quickly arrived on the scene, began taking statements and investigating the crime. At that time, it was discovered that the female canvasser, who is also an Olympic Gold medalist, had her black 2004 Infiniti G35 stolen by the armed assailant.
A police report was filed and the gunman is described as African-American male in his early twenties around 5’8”-5’11” and weighing approximately 170 lbs. He was wearing a green hooded sweater and had a red bandana covering his face. Police suspect this may have been part of yet another gang initiation. Fortunately, both victims were unharmed.
“More than anything, I am grateful for the safety of my friends. This incident easily could have been a tragedy. My resolve could not be stronger to take back Atlanta’s streets from gangs and violent criminals. A line in the sand has been drawn. This is yet another reminder that we must turn back the tide of violence facing our city,” said Sen. Reed.
“The gangs are going to reform their ways, leave this city immediately, or have the full weight and resources of local law enforcement and the criminal justice system brought down on them. Enough is enough. This continued threat to our safety will not be tolerated.”
The vehicle has Georgia plates and the license plate number is ATQ 6329. The campaign is urging anyone with any knowledge that may lead to the arrest of this suspect to immediately call the Zone 4 Investigation Unit with Atlanta Police Department at (404) 472-3708.
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143 comments Add your comment
Common Sense
October 6th, 2009
12:28 pm
Move out of ATL while you still can ! You may be next !
Kasim Reed
October 6th, 2009
12:28 pm
“I think we need… approximately 750 more officers”
AH
October 6th, 2009
12:28 pm
I hope I’m wrong and I’ve just become to much of a cynic, but I’m just not buying this story. Sorry if I’m wrong about this but this seems just a little to staged to me.
It also seems like Reed is more concerned about making a statement about gangs than about the safety of his staffers. I would have liked him to tell us that his people would be safe and that they would be taking more precaution for future to prevent this from happening again. Instead he went strait to a stump speech, if you want me to believe you are going to take care of the people of Atlanta, show me that you will atleast take care of your own people.
Rodney S.
October 6th, 2009
12:29 pm
Is this sort of behavior really that shocking? A young, black male robs someone at gun point. Wow. Stop the presses! I’ve never read a story like this one before!
No matter how jaded I become, I still hope the victims are able to move past their terrible experience and the thug is caught and successfully prosecuted.
WRONG
October 6th, 2009
12:33 pm
AH, go back to whatever campaign work you’re supposed to be doing. Kasim is definitely concerned for the safety of his friends. This is the wrong time for you to come on here spewing your ignorance. I hope you are never robbed, Kasim is the only real warrior in this race. Kasim is the only candidate that has actually fought for Allanta and won.
Where's my crack pipe?
October 6th, 2009
12:33 pm
Dog bites man story….black young thug sticks up someone in Atl (Yawn)
Black Man
October 6th, 2009
12:33 pm
And that is why the “N” continues to be used. Please young brothers, you create what I must fight everyday.
Casey
October 6th, 2009
12:34 pm
I hope everyone is ok. This is the only reported crime against a candidate or campaign that actually sounds real. Lisa Borders getting robbed 2 to 3 times with nothing more than her word on it, sounded a little fishy.
Wow, Just Wow
October 6th, 2009
12:34 pm
Absolutely outrageous.
DW
October 6th, 2009
12:35 pm
Thank God they’re okay.
@AH, remember, something similar happened to Ceasar Mitchell, so how would this be staged? Plus, an Infiniti was involved? Do you really think Kasim Reed would risk a win on such an expensive car?
@WRONG
October 6th, 2009
12:35 pm
Kasim… Get off the blogosphere.
martin
October 6th, 2009
12:35 pm
To AH: You must not live in the city. These African American gangs pull this crap every day, especially around Turner Field. I have to look over my shoulder constantly so I don’t get robbed at gunpoint. This insanity must stop!!
Shin Jasher
October 6th, 2009
12:39 pm
Casey: Are you serious? Crime is crime whether it’s a home invasion or a robbery or whether it’s in the West End or near Georgia Tech. I hope your fool behind never gets robbed spouting garbage like that.
count_schemula
October 6th, 2009
12:39 pm
I’m feelin’ this crime wave.
Shin Jasher
October 6th, 2009
12:43 pm
AH, you are sorely mistaken. I’ll dish out the same advice to you as I did to deluded Casey over there — I really hope you never get robbed. Besides, Reed’s office is in a very high crime neighborhood. The cause for concern for his staffers is palpable. Get a dose of humanity.
BangBang
October 6th, 2009
12:43 pm
I agree the crime has got to come down!!
I wonder wonder how Reed feels about the 2A… Is he okay with the fact that I would have dropped my keys and then dropped the idiot who attempted to rob me right there in the road with 2 well placed shots?
Probably not. I’m white, and it would then be a racial crime.
WRONG
October 6th, 2009
12:44 pm
I am a Kasim supporter, but definitely not the man. I am not even a campaign worker. My name is Kel Ross and I happen to know Kasim’s track record. His opponents have not accomplished much in relation to Atlanta. Do your homework and you’ll see.
Shin Jasher
October 6th, 2009
12:45 pm
Where’s ATAC when you need ‘em? Kyle Keyser, jump in! (Oh wait, Keyser and Reed are opponents in the same race.)
Mechanicsville
October 6th, 2009
12:46 pm
Hmmm…
Do we elect Kasim and Borders in hopes that the cronyism, nepotsim, and corruption is less than that in Shirley Franklin’s terms?
Or do we elect Norwood who will ignore the blighted communities on the south side which are predominantly poor and black?
Randall
October 6th, 2009
12:46 pm
It is clear to me that Reed’s leadership is something we desperately need in Atlanta. This was an obvious affront to his campaign by the very blood gang members he – an only he – has spoken out against. I don’t know about anyone else on here, but calling these miscreants to the carpet is something that should have been done a long time ago.
Here we are talking about a car jacking; on the campus of Clark Atlanta University a student was killed under the watch of Trustee Lisa Borders and she was far less than responsive, ask the coalition of students who called her out about it. And should I really mention anything about Norwood – BUCKHEAD’S MAYOR.
His statement made me feel that if he gets into office, we as a city have a chance to be safe again.
Peyton
October 6th, 2009
12:47 pm
Looks like the Reed boys are at again with the political gimmicks. Yet another candidate plays the victim card.
BangBang
October 6th, 2009
12:47 pm
Come to think of it.. I like some of Reeds stances on a few things, but this got me thinking.. I might call his office today and see how he feels about the 2nd Amendment and the right to carry.. If I’m correct, he’s probably one that felt his staffers did the right thing in laying down for the thugs that really run this city.
Even considering his office is in a bad part of town, makes you wonder as well..
Borders doesn’t seem to take the same road as Reed does with the crime, and she’s had her home broken into… She also doesn’t live in a good area, but both really take a lazy-boy approach to crime.
Enough is enough
October 6th, 2009
12:47 pm
You are sick if you think the camaign did this.
Borders got her house broken in to while she was home.
Mitchell got car jacked
there is a crime problem in the city. It sucks when it hits close to home.
If you are really that much of an ass to think Reed had something to do with it, walk outside by his HQ after dark by youself and see what happens.
Borders Camp
October 6th, 2009
12:48 pm
This is a very serious matter and we send our sincerest thoughts and prayers to those affected yesterday evening. AH’s comments are insensitive and inappropriate. This is no time to play politics when lives could have been at stake.
Shin Jasher
October 6th, 2009
12:48 pm
Mechanicsville, surely you’ve seen Norwood’s YouTube vids, right? There’s one with this toothless bum in it saying how she’ll stand up for the “souf’ side”. Hell, that’s endorsement enough from me. Put your cups in the air!
Truth
October 6th, 2009
12:50 pm
Kasim Reed= Shirley Franklin without the stupid flower.
Border=Reed with boobs.
Norwood= Old and the wrong color.
Victim
October 6th, 2009
12:52 pm
I was robbed at gunpoint in Oakland City back in 2007 – not fun – Kasim and other mayoral candidates are talking tough, but where is the money to fund extra police ? Atlanta’s current CFO says the coffers are pretty much empty – now is not the time for politics and all we have running for mayor are professional politicians – any fat or pork in the city budget will have to be eliminated and reallocated for crime fighting and these candidates don’t have the moxie to do it – they will owe too many political favors – maybe when the bad guys start robbing north of I-20 we’ll see some change – in the meantime handle your business before the sun goes down because the predators are out there and they are getting more brash every day
Reed supporter
October 6th, 2009
12:56 pm
Quick! Open up all the rec centers!! We’ll call them “centers of bulls–t rhetoric” or maybe “centers of thinly veiled attempts to disguise the lack of a real public safety plan.” Either way this thuggery and gangsterism must end! Pay for it? I’ll just divert money from critical IT and infrastructure projects while leveraging our futures in a downturning market! Go Kasim!
Wally
October 6th, 2009
12:57 pm
“The gangs are going to reform their ways, leave this city immediately, or have the full weight and resources of local law enforcement and the criminal justice system brought down on them.” SERIOUSLY????? Hahahahaha!!!!! Rehabilitate them? LMOA!!!!
These criminals are DOMESTIC TERRORISTS. Plain and simple. Time to start treating them accordingly.
AH
October 6th, 2009
1:00 pm
Wow lot of anger here. Maybe the ajc needs to post some ads for anger management. I’ll ignore all the campaign trolls here that’s your job, but then there are a few others that seem to take a lot of personal affront from an online blog.
We certainly have a crime problem here in the city everyone other than Franklin and Pennington know this, but I’m a little leery of how quickly Reed went into a stump speech. I’ll believe that the crime happened unless I hear differently but I’m not hearing from Reed concern for people that are his responsibility at this time. Show me how you take care of your people today, before I trust you to take care of me tomorrow.
The White Minority Vote
October 6th, 2009
1:06 pm
The candidates know that Atlanta’s gentrifying at great speed and the only way someone stands a chance of beating Norwood is to take some of the white vote.
It’s the reverse of the Presidential race.
jesus wept
October 6th, 2009
1:09 pm
I now carry a 357.Magnum with me pretty much everywhere I go, especially on rare trips to downtown Atlanta. Always with my 5 year GA carry permit of course. Black street crime and especially black on black crime is a huge problem in many parts of the world. In Brazil, the UK, France, throughout the Caribbean, of course all across the USA. South Africa is even worse, despite the far left black dominated ANC regime there. Funny how so little is ever really done about this trans-national problem that is actually getting much worse.. Mr Cosby was frequently shouted down by the racial spoils crowd when he made honest speeches about responsibility and getting an education. Sadly he seems (to me at least) to have largely given up his efforts.
Before the usual racebaiting begins on here, consider these facts – at this web Dept of Justice site:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/race.htm
Just one staggering fact.
Most murder victims — 93 percent of blacks and 85 percent of whites — were killed by someone of their own race. So “racist” murders are thankfully very rare.
Funny how Reed has been largely quiet all these years about black crime, until he started running for mayor. This has been a problem for decades and NO black politician in Atlanta has EVER actually done a damn thing about it…. SYSTEMATICALLY. Unlike Rudy did in NYC. Just the usual, occasional platitudes around election time.
Black crime has NOTHING at all to do with “racism” – its a deeply entrenched , self perpetuating cultural ‘thang’, with huge numbers of mostly innocent victims.
Randall
October 6th, 2009
1:09 pm
Have they identified the Rapper..er, robber yet?
MIKE II
October 6th, 2009
1:12 pm
“Suspect is an african-american male in his early twenties”… imagine that.
reebok
October 6th, 2009
1:13 pm
staged for publicity
Shin Jasher
October 6th, 2009
1:14 pm
jesus wept makes some good points. But a .357 Magnum? That sounds downright Wild Wild West-ish.
MR164
October 6th, 2009
1:20 pm
Stap up!
MR164
October 6th, 2009
1:21 pm
strap up!
sb
October 6th, 2009
1:22 pm
If you think the Gangs and Crime are bad in Atl come to Henry County were the Police wait about thirty minutes or longer before responding to a Gang related or Burglary call,or not even show up at all. I agree with Common Sense, Get out of ATL.and the Suburbs now!!!!!!
Negroid Male
October 6th, 2009
1:23 pm
A negro robs another negro. Come on guys we need to stick together.
jesus wept
October 6th, 2009
1:26 pm
Shin …
Thanks for the kind words.
I choose a magnum solely because there’s NO chance it could jam. Its point and shoot. I also have a Glock 17 and a M & P compact SW.40 which are not revolvers, but for safety reasons I don’t carry those with a round in the chamber, so I’d have to ’slide’ one in – which takes a few extra seconds to do. The magnum is in an impossible to detect carry bag. and hopefully I will NEVER have to use it. The cops in Atlanta are pretty useless and ineffective and I refuse to just be a passive victim of black thugs. There simply is NO white street crime on a level like this anywhere in GA. If there was I’d be just as biting in my comments about that.
Victim
October 6th, 2009
1:30 pm
“The gangs are going to reform their ways, leave this city immediately, or have the full weight and resources of local law enforcement and the criminal justice system brought down on them.”
earth to Kasim, the gangs are not going to reform or leave and hiring a bunch of cops will not produce immediate results either – inexperienced rookie cops with itchy trigger fingers may even exacerbate the problem – find out exactly what Guiliani did to clean up Manhattan and mirror it….exactly
dixie clear
October 6th, 2009
1:31 pm
Put white people back in charge of ATL or this crap will NEVER stop!!
Steve
October 6th, 2009
1:32 pm
Get Tough on Crime . . . Raid a Gay Bar ! !
jesus wept
October 6th, 2009
1:35 pm
Steve
that homosexual bar was full of homosexuals committing lewd sex acts, illegally. The cops did what the law and common decency dictates was necessary. GET OVER IT ALREADY!!!
Boogar
October 6th, 2009
1:35 pm
Just another “cultural” aspect of a race that can’t get itself together… Way to go Negroid Male, “stick together” as in let’s go rob Whitey?
How about more non thug African American males stepping up and participating in Big Brothers and Big Sisters, how about being a positive force in the community, how about Afircan American males abandoning the “hard” life and just being nice and friendly for once? It’s amazing what kinds of changes would happen if they would present themselves in a different light.
Free Mustache Rides
October 6th, 2009
1:38 pm
Great comment Steve.
newA
October 6th, 2009
1:42 pm
This is unfortunate, which is why a tough stance on crime is necessary. Reed appears to be tough on crime, and I imagine he will get even tougher after this experience.
DKBP
October 6th, 2009
1:42 pm
Negroid Male, you make me sick with your Negros sticking together comment. I guess you’d have no problem if the victims had been white or brown? It’s a HUMAN BEING robbing another HUMAN BEING, and it’s wrong. If Borders doesn’t win, I swear I’m moving to Maine…to get away from people like you.
DKBP
October 6th, 2009
1:45 pm
And Black Man, your comment is right on the money. Keep your head up, and continue to lead by example.