A man allegedly snatched phones from two Georgia State University students and a woman in Little Five Points Monday, campus police said.
The suspect first got out of a white or silver Nissan Altima with a temporary license plate and grabbed two phones at Decatur Street and Jesse Hill Drive, according to campus police.
About an hour later, Atlanta police were called to Little Five Points regarding an incident matching the same crime and car description. The car has damage to the front right fender and bumper, the APD report said.
In that case, a woman was walking on Euclid Avenue and looking at her iPhone 7 when a man snatched it, according to a police report.
The woman told APD he punched her in the mouth after she ran after him and grabbed his shirt as he got in the car’s passenger side.
The robberies are “similar to old purse snatchings,” according to Georgia State University Police Chief Joseph Spillane. The act is referred to by some as “apple picking,” alluding to Apple phones, Spillane said.
Officials urged students via a tweet to be careful when using mobile devices or music players and to not allow strangers to use their phones — especially when they ask from a vehicle.
The incidents are being investigated. Attempts to track the stolen phones have proved fruitless.
In recent weeks, several students from Georgia State and Georgia Tech have been the victims of robberies. In those cases, the suspects were armed and robbed students of their belongings at gunpoint.
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