A mayoral candidate who voted for ‘Defund the Police’ was dragged from his Mercedes on Wednesday.
Antonio Brown, a councilman in Atlanta, became a victim of a carjacking only months after he voted to cut the police budget by $73 million. The ‘Defund the Police’ ordinance was rejected by the city council.
The carjacking incident occurred as the state deals with a crime surge, with car thefts up 25 percent from last year and murders up 59 percent.
According to reports, Brown was attending a ribbon-cutting when four people suddenly hopped into his Mercedes while he was getting out and immediately drove away.
Speaking to WSBTV, the councilman said he was on hold with 911 for five long minutes and claims it took 45 minutes for officers to arrive as the incident was assigned as a low-priority dispatch.
Police said in a statement: “Several males entered his unlocked car and drove away with it.”
Brown also shared how he held onto the vehicle and was dragged around a block before he finally let go.
The Mercedes was later located hours after the carjacking incident but no arrests have been made.
Brown said that he does not intend to press any charges against the young carjackers.
Police told the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “At this time, officers are gathering information on exactly how this happened and working to identify anyone involved in the incident and locate the stolen vehicle.”
Brown also said that the culprits appeared to be children, saying: “These kids were, in my opinion, somewhere between 7 and 11 years old.”
The councilman also shared how Ben Norman of the Dixie Hills Neighborhood Association, who he was speaking with when the children hopped into his car, tried to stop the carjackers.
“Ben attempted to open the door, to get [the driver] out of the car. He fought with Ben. I then engaged and tried to get him out of the car,” Brown shared.
Brown blamed poverty for the incident. “This is a generational poverty issued,” he said. “These kids, it’s 12:30 in the afternoon. Why aren’t they in school? Why aren’t we enforcing systems to ensure that if they are not in school, they’re in recreational centers?”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!