Johns Creek woman possibly targeted in home robbery

Neighbor: Attacker knew victim, a business owner.

A 54-year-old Johns Creek woman who was tied up and robbed in her home Saturday may have been targeted, police said.

A neighbor of the Tuckerbrook Lane resident called 911 after the woman ran for help, according to a police report.

That man asked Channel 2 Action News to conceal his identity when he said his neighbor had been attacked by someone who knew her.

“She was very upset,” he said. “She was shaking.”

The woman told police she had returned home from the grocery store about 6 p.m. and later heard, but ignored, noises in the backyard, the police report states. About 9 p.m., she walked toward the garage and, when she looked down a hallway, a man stuck a gun in her face, she told police.

“He covered her mouth and told her to be quiet if she didn’t want to get hurt,” the officer wrote in the report.

That’s when the man tied her wrists and feet together and placed her head on the floor.

He was one of two men who broke in through a back door and stole more than $10,000 in cash and jewelry, the report states.

Johns Creek police Capt. Chris Byers told Channel 2 the attacker seemed familiar with the resident and knew she was a business owner. The resident was repeatedly asked for her “store money,” according to the report.

“He was pronouncing her name perfectly (and) knew who she was,” Byers said.

The men could be heard communicating with another person over a radio, but the woman could not say whether that third person was a man or a woman.

Because the woman may have been targeted for cash from her farmer’s market in Decatur, the neighbor told Channel 2 he didn’t think the community had reason to worry.

“We want our neighbors to know that we don’t think there’s a reason for us to be afraid,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-5778477, text information to 274637, or visit crimestoppersatlanta.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000.