Crime & Safety

Police Warn of Suspicious Incidents Involving Children

Gwinnett County Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect described in incidents in the Snellville, Peachtree Corners and Norcross areas.

Gwinnett County investigators now are linking four suspicious incidents in the Snellville, Peachtree Corners and Norcross areas, where an individual may be targeting children.

Police said the incidents took place over the past three months, and based on details in the case, they believe it is the work of one person. They are asking parents "to be extra vigilant with their children and their activities and to report any suspicious behavior or activity in their neighborhoods," according to Gwinnett Police spokesman Cpl. Ed Ritter in a press release.

According to police, the incidents named were:

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  • About 7:50 a.m., on Jan. 31, 2012, in the area of Ivy Chase Lane in Peachtree Corners, a 13-year-old 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 that time, the suspect opened the driver's side door and took a picture of her with a silver camera and left the area. The suspect was described as a bald black man in his mid 30s with facial hair. He was driving a gold four-door sedan with no center hubcaps and with chrome trim around the door frames.
  • About 7 p.m., on Feb. 16, 2012, in the area of Peachtree Corners Circle and Brandywine Trail in Peachtree Corners, a 14-year-old female was walking in the area 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 parks, so he could get out a talk to her. The victim then ran away and the suspect drove off taking a left onto Holcomb Bridge Road. The suspect was described as a black man with short hair and was wearing a black short sleeve 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.
  • About 1 p.m., on Feb. 28, 2012, in the area of 2200 block of Boone Place in Snellville, an eight-year-old male was walking home when the suspect pulled up next to him and demanded him to β€œget in the car.” The victim was able to see into the back passenger window and noticed that the suspect had brandished 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, black gloves that had a lighter color on the bottom side. The vehicle was described as a gold passenger car, possibly a Chevrolet Malibu.
  • About 6:30 a.m., on March 13, 2012, in the area of 3200 block of Sunrise Village Lane in Norcross, an 11-year-old 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.

The Gwinnett County Special Victims Unit is investigating.

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

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