By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

It was a busy weekend for Alpharetta Police.

Last Sunday morning, 911 received a call of a home invasion from the panicked homeowner. Three burglars had broken into his home on Club Court, in the Golf Club of Georgia gated subdivision and held him hostage while they ransacked the house. In the middle of the robbery, the victim’s wife returned from walking the dogs only to be tied up similar to her husband and watch as their possessions were looted.

Once the three thieves were finished with the house they fled, two of them deciding to take the victim’s vehicle, an Escalade, with them.

Unfortunately for them, the homeowner freed himself shortly after they left and called the police. Within three minutes of the call, Milton police had spotted the stolen vehicle traveling toward Ga. 400.

What followed was a high-speed chase down the highway into metro Atlanta with five Alpharetta police cruisers in pursuit as well as numerous cars from Milton, Roswell, and Atlanta which ended when the fleeing vehicle was rammed by an Alpharetta cruiser and ran into a telephone pole. Police immediately swarmed the vehicle, arresting the thieves before the Escalade burst into flames, destroying the stolen merchandise.  

Demarkus Grier, 18, has been charged with 15 counts, including kidnapping, armed robbery and false imprisonment. Demarcus Graham, 20, was charged similar counts. The third robbery suspect, who was not in the vehicle, is still at large.

“That’s something we just can’t tolerate. One of the most heinous crimes that criminals can do is to invade someone’s home while they’re there.” said Alpharetta Public Safety Director Gary George. “Those folks have to be caught; we can’t let them get away.”

The criminals may have been involved in similar burglaries in Roswell and Johns Creek. Police are still investigating.

It Was Supposed to be A Noise Complaint

The second large event is of a more tragic sort.

On the morning of June 1, officers were called to a residence on Douglas Road in response to loud noises and the sound of glass breaking on an abandoned property. Their routine initial investigation of the property yielded no results, but after checking back with the complainant, they discovered Frank Brown, 65.

Brown had previously been the owner of the property, which had been foreclosed upon earlier this year. Since his eviction, he had moved to Tennessee. When police found him, he was sitting in his truck, broken liquor bottles on the ground around him, clearly very intoxicated. As the officers approached Brown, they noticed he had a handgun. When Brown became agitated at their presence, the officers called in backup.

Three more officers arrived on the scene and the group surrounded the truck. At one point Brown allegedly said to the officers, “If you come any closer, I’ll shoot you.” Shortly after that dangerous comment, Brown raised his pistol and pointed it at one of the officers.

They opened fire, killing Brown immediately.

All five officers have been placed under administrative leave until a GBI investigation concludes that the use of force was justified.

George lamented the man’s death, calling it “tragic” and, when asked about possible cause for the man’s behavior, suggested he may have been severely depressed about recent turns in his life, but maintained that in light of his aggressive behavior and the verbal threat combined with pointing the gun, which was loaded, at an officer, meant that the officers responded exactly as they were supposed to.