A man wanted in connection with the violent robbery of a woman near an Atlanta transit station was arrested Monday after authorities said he stole a marked police cruiser and crashed it into a tanker truck.
Atlanta police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Phelan Thorpe. Investigators said he was wanted in connection with a Saturday afternoon robbery near the Midtown MARTA station.
Thorpe faces charges of robbery and simple battery in connection with the alleged attack, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Officers were sent shortly after 5:15 p.m. Monday to the 2000 block of Thomasville Drive SE after receiving a report that a wanted man was at the location and might be armed, police said.
Video released by the Atlanta Police Department shows a suspect following a woman from the Midtown MARTA station before allegedly attacking and robbing her near 10th and West Peachtree streets on Oct. 3, 2026. (Atlanta Police Department)
Police located Thorpe and began investigating, but officers said he entered a marked Atlanta Police Department patrol vehicle parked outside and drove away.
Authorities said Thorpe drove the cruiser into neighboring Clayton County, where it collided with a tanker truck on Interstate 675.
He was taken into custody after the crash without further incident. Thorpe sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital, police said. No officers or other civilians were reported hurt.
The woman who was attacked and robbed near the Midtown MARTA station gathers herself in the aftermath of the Oct. 3, 2026, mugging in Atlanta. (Atlanta Police Department)
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Police had been searching for Thorpe after an attack Saturday near 10th Street and West Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.
Officers responded at about 1:54 p.m. and found a woman who had been injured in an assault and robbery, according to police.
Investigators said a man followed the woman from the Midtown MARTA station, confronted her and claimed he had a gun. The suspect then demanded her purse and iPhone, prompting a physical struggle, police said.
The man allegedly punched the woman with a closed fist before taking her phone and driver’s license and running from the area. The woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation, authorities said.
Surveillance footage released by Atlanta police showed a man following the woman near a crosswalk before the confrontation. Investigators initially asked the public to help identify him.
An Atlanta police cruiser. (atlantaga.gov)
Atlanta police later identified Thorpe as the suspect wanted in the robbery and announced the robbery and simple battery charges.
It was not immediately known how Thorpe allegedly got into the patrol vehicle or whether investigators recovered a firearm.
A police update issued Monday night did not specify whether Thorpe faces additional charges related to the alleged theft of the cruiser or the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.