Crime ring is busted

Atlanta police say they have busted up a crime ring operating out of the Buckhead area, resulting in four arrests.

“We believe these individuals are responsible for running a sophisticated criminal enterprise primarily centered on burglarizing property from self-storage units,” said Atlanta Police Department spokesman Carlos Campos. “We believe they are also responsible for breaking into cars, mail theft and identity theft. The investigation is ongoing and we anticipate more arrests.”

The investigation began after an uptick this year in thefts from storage units, mostly overnight. Myriad items were stolen: hunting equipment, vintage records, antiques. Police said they have identified 21 cases in the city related to the ring, as well as four in Cobb County and five in DeKalb County.

Zone 2 Assistant Commander James Patterson told reporters that officers are in the process of returning stolen goods to the victims. “We’ve returned countless items,” he said.

Because people may rarely visit their storage units, many may not realize they’ve been victimized, so police anticipate more reports of thefts involving the suspects.

The arrested, who face various charges related to the thefts, are Randall Clifton Brown, 50; Jason Keenan, 42; Julia Tittle, 30; and Eduardo Solis, 35.