Don't attempt to rob a Marine
[LINK] AJC A pack of would-be robbers
including, a pregnant 17-year-old, figured a Midtown waiter walking to
his girlfriend's house Monday night would be an easy mark, according to
police. But, in Thomas Autry, 36, the bandits picked the wrong victim ...
- - - - - The former Marine [no such thing!],
cornered by his pursuers on Penn Avenue at 4th Street, fought back with
a pocket knife in a deadly melee that left the young woman dead and a
man in his late teens seriously injured at a hospital. The woman was identified as Amy Martin, who just had a birthday May
17, said Investigator Mark Gilbeau with the Fulton County Medical
Examiner's Office. An autopsy was expected to be completed Tuesday
afternoon. "Cause of death will be stab wounds, but we don't know how
many yet," Gilbeau said. The teenager lived in an apartment at 3000 Stone Hogan Connector in
southwest Atlanta, south of Greenbriar Mall near East Point, Gilbeau
said. A young man also stabbed in the robbery attempt remained in
critical condition, he added. Autry suffered minor injuries. The identities of the surviving
suspects, who Stephens said are believed to be linked to "a lot" of
pedestrian robberies in Midtown and Virginia-Highland, were not
released. They face aggravated assault and robbery charges, police said. Autry will not be charged, Stephens said. "It was a clear case of self defense." Stephens said Autry had left his job at the Jocks & Jills
restaurant in Midtown and was walking along Penn Avenue when a blue
Cadillac pulled alongside and three men, one armed with a shotgun, and
the woman jumped from the car. "This group had robbed two men on Piedmont earlier Monday night, taking a video camera and a cellphone," Stephens said. "Autry takes off running, and they chase him. During the chase,
Autry's trying to get into his backpack to get a pocket knife, which
slows him down," Stephens said. During the chase, Autry repeatedly yelled "fire, fire," which Stephens said attracted nearby residents' attention.
Smart thinking! Today, people are more likely to come running if you yell FIRE! than if you yell HELP!
Grabbing the knife from his backpack, Autry managed to kick the shotgun from the man's hands and stabbed the woman in the chest, fatally wounding her. Stephens said. In the melee, Autry also stabbed one of the male suspects. Another suspect attempted to shoot Autry with a .380 pistol, which misfired, Stephens said.
Wish we had a video of this!
The suspects ran back to the Cadillac and drove to Atlanta Medical Center, where police arrested them. The young woman, "about two weeks pregnant," was pronounced dead at the hospital, Stephens said.
- - - - -
According to Neal Boortz, the title orginally stressed the Marine had killed a [2-week] pregnant woman. Under pressure from readers, the title was changed.
As Neal pointed out, technically speaking, the other robbers should be charged with murder, since the law says any death resulting from the commission of a felony is a murder (regardless of how it happens).
- - - - -
UPDATE: WSB TV has updates and video interviews. The autopsy found the girl NOT pregnant, FWIW. Also, in case you were wondering, both the attackers and the defender were Black, so no race card can be played in this case.
- - - - -
[LINK] Updated AJC article, 5/30/2006
Former Marine kills would-be robber A former Marine who police say killed a woman that attacked him
during a gang robbery attempt told reporters Tuesday he acted only to
save his life. "My first instinct was to run," said former Cpl. Thomas Autry, 36.
"Those kids were younger than me. They caught me and cornered me. It
was about life preservation." "I'm sorry this whole thing happened. I hate this world has gotten to the point where it is predatory," said a shaken Autry. The pack of would-be robbers, including a 17-year-old woman, might
have mistaken the tall, thin, waiter for an easy mark, said police.
But, the bandits picked the wrong victim, said Atlanta police homicide
Detective Danny Stephens. The former Marine, cornered by his pursuers
on Penn Avenue at 4th Street, fought back with a pocket knife in a
deadly melee that left the young woman dead and a man in his late teens
seriously injured at a hospital. Autry suffered minor injuries, including a cut to his hand. The woman, identified as Amy Martin, had just had a birthday May 10,
said Investigator Mark Gilbeau with the Fulton County Medical
Examiner's Office. An autopsy was expected to be completed Tuesday.
"Cause of death will be stab wounds, but we don't know how many yet,"
Gilbeau said. Early reports were that Martin was pregnant, but the autopsy concluded otherwise, said the Fulton Medical Examiner's Office. The teenager lived in an apartment at 3000 Stone Hogan Connector in
southwest Atlanta, south of Greenbriar Mall near East Point, Gilbeau
said. A young man also stabbed in the robbery attempt remained in
critical condition, he added. The identities of the surviving suspects, who Stephens said are
believed to be linked to "a lot" of pedestrian robberies in Midtown and
Virginia-Highland, were not released. They face aggravated assault and
robbery charges, police said. Autry will not be charged, Stephens said. "It was a clear case of self defense." Stephens said Autry had left his job at the Jocks & Jills
restaurant in Midtown and was walking along Penn Avenue when a blue
Cadillac pulled alongside and three men, one armed with a shotgun, and
the woman jumped from the car. "This group had robbed two men on Piedmont earlier Monday night, taking a video camera and a cellphone," Stephens said. "Autry takes off running, and they chase him. During the chase,
Autry's trying to get into his backpack to get a pocket knife, which
slows him down," Stephens said. During the chase, Autry repeatedly yelled "fire, fire," which Stephens said attracted nearby residents' attention. Grabbing the knife from his backpack, Autry managed to kick the
shotgun from the man's hands and stabbed the woman in the chest,
fatally wounding her. Stephens said. In the melee, Autry also stabbed
one of the male suspects. Another suspect attempted to shoot Autry with
a .380 pistol, which misfired, Stephens said. The suspects ran back to the Cadillac and drove to Atlanta Medical Center, where police arrested them. Autry, honorably discharged in 1992 after serving in Operation
Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, spoke to a gaggle of reporters from the
porch of his apartment about six block north of the King Center in
downtown Atlanta. Autry recounted the attack, saying he first realize something was
amiss when he saw a white cat scurry across the road. That's when he
turned around and saw the armed attackers getting out of a stopped car. He said his military training kicked in, but "what really helped me was growing up in New York." He said he changed his locks after the incident because of security concerns. When told that many in the metro area consider him a hero for his actions, Autry disagreed. "The heroes are those guys out there fighting for us every day and
not getting respect," he said, referring to military personnel fighting
in Iraq and elsewhere. "That [killing the attacker] wasn't admirable,
it was fight or flight and I tried the flight."
Woman, armed men attack waiter walking home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/30/06
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