1 Dead After Father, Son Overtake Intruder In Lithonia

LITHIONIA, GA -- An armed intruder is dead after a father and son took him down after they were forced to an ATM in an attempted robbery, DeKalb County authorities said Wednesday. The perpetrator, who has not been named, was shot possibly with his own firearm, according to news reports.

The harrowing incident began with a home invasion around 2 a.m. at The Oaks at Stonecrest apartment complex on Evans Mill Road in Lithonia. The family apparently didn't have money at their residence, so they were abducted, police said. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Lithonia Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The would-be robber made the dad and teenaged son get into a truck and drive to a SunTrust Bank near the Mall at Stonecrest off Interstate 20, DeKalb police Lt. Shane Stanfield told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

While the gunman was backing the truck into a parking space at the ATM, a commotion ensued, according to Stanfield.

“We believe that the suspect possibly brought them here to retrieve money from the ATM. Once they got to the location, I guess the victims of the home invasion thought they possibly had a chance to get away and a struggle ensued," Stanfield told WSB-TV. "That’s when the shots were fired.”

At least two shots went off, according to WAGA-TV, with the would-be robber being struck at least one.

Father and son are unharmed and cooperating in the investigation, authorities said.

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