Crime Blotter, May 18-24

Police: Man tried to steal car, two dozen Polo shirts at Macy's
An Atlanta man was charged May 19 with trying to steal two dozen Polo shirts from in Northlake and then a car from store's lot later, DeKalb County police said.

The suspect, 47-year-old James Leonard who lives on Buford Highway, was seen walking out of the store with the shirts at about 1:30pm, the police report said. Outside, witnesses said Leonard pushed down a woman walking toward the store and grabbed her car keys. But he was confronted by two men as he tried to open the woman's car door, and one of them restrained him until police arrived.

The police also found Leonard was carrying a key to a Chrysler Sebring, which Leonard said belonged to a friend. But later, an officer located the Sebring on Macy's upper level parking deck and discovered the car was reported stolen.

Leonard was charged with theft by shoplifting, battery, strong-arm robbery and theft by receiving a stolen vehicle. He was taken to DeKalb County Jail.

Thieft captured on video snooping around in Frazier Road homes
A thief was captured on video entering the carport of a Frazier Road home around the same time a neighbor across the street said someone broke into her garage, DeKalb County police said.

The woman, who lives in the 1500 block of Frazier Road, said someone entered her garage between 7pm Sunday and 6:30am Monday, the police report said. Police do not know how the suspect entered the garage, and the victim's car was also opened, but nothing was taken.

The victim also said she had a video recording of a suspect entering a carport at a home across the street. The video's poor quality, however, did not reveal any additional information.

Laptop stolen from car in Pita Palace parking lot
An Atlanta man told DeKalb County police his laptop was stolen from his car outside on Lavista Road on Monday afternoon.

The 36-year-old victim said he went to lunch at the restaurant at 1658 Lavista Rd. at 12:30pm and returned to his car 20 minutes later to discover a partially broken rear driver's side window, the police report said. His HP laptop, valued at about $500, had been taken.