Gwinnett Police Warn Children Being Targeted

Gwinnett Police are cautioning parents in Gwinnett County to be extra vigilant of their children and to report any suspicious behavior or activity in their neighborhoods because children may be being targeted for harm.

Cpl. Edwin Ritter reported that the Gwinnett County Police Special Victims Unit believes four incidents of suspicious activity over the past three months may be someone targeting children, according to an announcement issued Monday (March 26). One person may be responsible for the incidents in which both male and female children were approached while walking by a black male driver.

Here are police reports of the incidents:

• On Jan. 30 at approximately 7:50 a.m. in the area of Ivy Chase Lane in Norcross a 13-year-old black female was walking back to her apartment after dropping off her brother at the bus stop when the suspect pulled up next to her in his vehicle and yelled “Hey.” The victim stated that she stopped and looked around to see if the suspect was taking to someone else at which time the suspect opened the driver side door and took a picture of her with a silver camera and left the area. The suspect was described as a bald black male in his mid-30s with facial hair. He was driving a gold 4-door sedan with no center hubcaps and chrome trim around the doorframes.

• On Feb. 16 at approximately 7 p.m. a 14-year-old white female was walking near Peachtree Corners Circle and Brandywine Trail in Norcross when the suspect pulled up next to her. The suspect asked the victim her age and if she wanted a ride. He also asked her if she would like to make a few hundred dollars and she told him “no.” The suspect then told the victim to wait while he parked, so he could get out a talk to her. The victim ran away, and the suspect drove off taking a left onto Holcomb Bridge Road. The suspect was described as a black male with short hair wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with a green and yellow design on the front. The vehicle was described as an older model gold passenger car, possibly a Toyota Corolla. (This location is actually in Peachtree Corners.)

• On Feb. 28 at approximately 1 p.m. an 8-year-old white male was walking home in the 2200 block of Boone Place in Snellville when the suspect pulled up next to him and ordered him to “get in the car.” The victim was able to see into the back passenger window and noticed that the suspect was brandishing a short black pistol. The victim began to run away when another vehicle came around the corner. The suspect then drove away. The suspect was described as a male with a deep voice, wearing a black mask covering his face and black gloves lighter in color on the bottom side. The vehicle was described as a gold passenger car, possibly a Chevrolet Malibu.

• On March 13 at approximately 6:30 a.m. in the 3200 block of Sunrise Village Lane in Norcross an 11-year-old black female was walking to her bus stop when the suspect started chasing her. The victim ran to her friends and yelled to them. After catching up to her friends she turned around and the suspect was gone. A juvenile witness stated that she has seen the suspect on two separate occasions while walking her dog in the afternoon hours. Both times she saw the suspect he was wearing a black mask. On one of those occasions, the suspect approached her and her dog snapped at him. The suspect then turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Anyone with information leading to the identity of the suspect in these incidents is asked to call the Gwinnett County Police Criminal Investigations Section at 770-513-5300. Gwinnett Police advise anyone who encounters this person to call 911 and not to engage him.