Crime Blotter, Jan. 19-25

More than $6K in property stolen from Briarcliff Road apartment
More than $6,000 in property, including laptops and TVs, were stolen from a Briarcliff Road apartment Jan. 21, DeKalb County police said.

Three men who live in the apartment in the 2300 block of Briarcliff Road and work together left at 4:45pm to go to work, the police report said. They returned around midnight to discover their rear patio door open with the lock broken off. Among the items missing:

• Panasonic 37-inch flatscreen TV ($700)
• Two Playstation 3 consoles ($600)
• Hewlitt-Packard laptop ($500)
• Books ($200)
• Sony 47-inch TV ($850)
• Two Xbox consoles ($400)
• Macbook laptop ($1,200)
• Westinghouse 37-inch TV ($500)
• Sony laptop ($800)
• Video games ($500)

More than $3K in property stolen from North Crossing Way home
More than $3,000 in property, including laptops and a revolver, were stolen from a North Crossing Way home Tuesday, DeKalb County police said.

The 27-year-old victim told police he left his home in the 700 block of North Crossing Way at about 8:30am and returned at about 3:30pm to find his front door slightly open, the police report said. The front door panel was damaged. Among the items missing:

• Sony Playstation 3 video game console ($400)
• Nintendo Wii video game console ($250)
• Toshiba laptop ($1,000)
• External hard drive ($100)
• Dell laptop ($500)
• Sony Vaio laptop ($100)
• Apple keyboard ($70)
• Lock box ($75)
• Taurus revolver ($700)
• Various credit and debit cards, a birth certificate and a Social Security card

Man reports attempted car theft at Red Lobster
A Norcross man told DeKalb County police someone likely tried to steal his car from a Red Lobster parking lot on Lavista Road on Jan. 22, according to a police report.

The 25-year-old victim told police he parked his 2012 Dodge Charger at the restaurant at 3937 Lavista Rd. at 2:30pm. When he returned to the truck, he noticed the driver's side door was open, and the door's lock was punctured. Nothing was taken, however.

Ditched cab fare turns into altercation in Bradford Square Apartments
Two men got into an altercation with a cabbie after they tried to ditch their fare in Bradford Square Apartments on Jan. 21, DeKalb County police said.

A cab driver dropped off Benjamin Wolfe and Jonathan Wilhelm, both 24, at 2507 Bradford Square at about 3:20am, the police report said. Once they got out of the car, they ran in different directions without paying the fare, the cabbie told police. Wolfe darted into a wooded area and fell into a creek, injuring his face.

The cabbie said he heard Wolfe crying for help and offered his assistance if Wolfe agreed to pay the fare. The cabbie told police he helped Wolfe out of the creek and took him to a nearby gas station where he cleaned the blood from his face and paid the cabbie the fare. When they returned to the apartments, Wolfe walked to Wilhelm's home on Shallowford Road and returned with him, the report said. The cabbie had accidentally locked himself out of the taxi while chasing Wolfe.

Wilhelm approached the cabbie and said, "Give me your money or I will kill you," according to the report.

He punched the cabbie in the face and chest, and the cabbie fought back, but when the police arrived, Wilhelm ran away. Wolfe admitted to the police officer he was drunk and initially refused to pay to cabbie. He also told the officer where Wilhelm lived (about a block away) and when the officer went to the home, he found Wilhelm very drunk, lying on an upstairs bedroom floor. His left ear was also bloody.

While the officer took him back to the scene, Wilhelm pleaded with the officer to release him if he paid the fare. The cabbie identified both suspects but did not want to prosecute. Wolfe and Wilhelm were charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication. Wolfe was taken home, and Wilhelm was taken to – and later released from – Grady Hospital.