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Atlanta council member seeks police answers after Midtown assault victim receives threat
Amaris Coleman says a voicemail demanding $600 and claiming the caller knows where she lives has left her afraid, even after an arrest. Councilmember Michael Julian Bond says he plans to question Atlanta police about public safety following the attack.
ATLANTA — Amaris Coleman says she still fears for her safety after a daytime attack in Midtown and a threatening voicemail she says came from the person accused of assaulting her.
Police say Phelan Thorpe attacked Coleman and took her phone, then used it to leave a voicemail demanding $600 through Cash App and saying he knew where she lived. “He’s boasting about the fact that he knows where I stay at,” Coleman said.
Coleman said hearing the message brought the attack back to her. “I will say I don’t feel safe. And I probably won’t feel safe for a long time,” she said.
Police say officers later found Thorpe on Thomasville Drive. According to police, he threatened to shoot officers, got into an Atlanta police cruiser and drove away. Police say he eventually crashed the cruiser into a tanker truck on I-675.
Atlanta City Councilmember Michael Julian Bond said he plans to seek answers from the police department at an upcoming meeting of the council’s Public Safety & Legal Administration Committee. Bond said safety for people in the area and the Georgia State University community is a priority.
“It is beyond outrageous that a menace to society can be seen committing such a heinous attack in broad daylight,” Bond said in a statement. He said he intends to ask what the city is doing so residents can cross the street without fearing an attack.
A judge has denied bond on one of Thorpe’s latest charges. The District Attorney’s Office said it does not expect him to be released before trial. The investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing.
Coleman said she hopes the attention on her case leads to changes that make others feel safer.