Thieves target East Atlanta street again

ATLANTA - Southeast Atlanta residents on a block of Brownwood Avenue SE woke up to numerous cars with windows smashed in an attempt to steal valuables, even targeting a neighbor that had her home burglarized days before. 

It's the latest of a string of crimes in southeast Atlanta and DeKalb County, where homeowners say they hear almost daily about break-ins with crooks kicking in their doors and stealing their belongings.

"I think everybody's fed up with it," one neighbor said, as he woke up Friday morning to police surveying the damage to six cars on their small block alone. Only one driver reported items stolen. 

Atlanta Police could not tell FOX 5 whether the thieves responsible for the recent car thefts in Southeast Atlanta and other nearby neighborhoods could be connected to the home break-ins. As of Wednesday, investigators connected ten burglaries to two groups of thieves.

A few hours later on Friday morning, a mile away on Bradley Avenue in neighboring DeKalb County, resident Caitlin Jones reported to DeKalb Police her home was broken into and her laptop stolen. The thieves even knocked down her surveillance camera to avoid being seen.

"[It's the] third in two and a half years... it makes you question whether this is the part of town I should be in," Jones said.

Friday, police advised residents to keep their cars clean and leave porch lights on to prevent burglaries and car break-ins.

Police also said three stolen vehicles connected to the crimes have been recovered. Authorities warn drivers to protect their cars from such thefts by never leaving spare keys or a garage door opener in a vehicle.

On Thursday, police released a photo of Antoine Brown, who they believe could be connected to the crimes.