Atlanta Man Arrested After Alleged Robbery and Police Vehicle Theft

A man involved in a violent robbery near an Atlanta transit station was arrested after he allegedly stole a police cruiser and crashed it into a tanker truck. Authorities have identified the suspect as Phelan Thorpe, aged 30. He was wanted for a robbery near the Midtown MARTA station on Saturday afternoon.

Thorpe faces charges for robbery and simple battery related to the incident. Authorities responded to a call about a wanted man on Thomasville Drive SE around 5:15 p.m. Monday. The caller reported that the man was possibly armed.

Video footage released by the Atlanta Police Department shows the suspect following a woman from the transit station before the alleged attack near 10th and West Peachtree streets on October 3, 2026.

Police officers found Thorpe on the scene, but he managed to escape by entering a marked police vehicle and driving off. He drove the cruiser into Clayton County and crashed into a tanker truck on Interstate 675.

Thorpe was arrested post-crash, with minor injuries, and taken to a hospital. No officers or civilians were reported injured. The woman involved in the mugging on October 3 was recovering after the attack.

Officers responded around 1:54 p.m. to the assault near 10th Street. A man had followed the woman from the transit station, confronted her claiming he had a gun, demanded her belongings, and physically assaulted her.

Surveillance video shows the suspect following the woman near a crosswalk. Atlanta police sought public assistance in identifying him at that time. Thorpe was later charged with robbery and battery related to the attack.

Details on how Thorpe accessed the police vehicle or if a firearm was found remain unspecified. Charges related to the vehicle theft or crash have not been announced. The investigation is ongoing.