Burger King Robber Slain in Buckhead

Updated 6:40 p.m. 

Atlanta police shot and killed 31-year-old Jimmy Allen, who tried to rob a fast food restaurant in Buckhead on Wednesday morning, police said. The same robber was responsible for a string of stick-ups, including some in Gwinnett County, says Cpl. Jake Smith of the Gwinnett County Police Dept. 

Maj. Keith Meadows of the Atlanta Police Department homicide unit said a man entered the  at 2425 Peachtree Road, near Lindbergh, when it opened at 5:45 a.m. and tried to hold up the restaurant. Meadows said an employee managed to trip a silent alarm and also called 911. A Zone 2 officer in the area responded, and killed the suspect following a confrontation.

Police now say there is a connection between the Buckhead robbery and at least 20 other fast food robberies that have occured in the Metro area, including six in Gwinnett. 

Meadows said a mask was found at the Burger King, and that the slain man's car and mode of operations matched those reported in the robberies of other Burger Kings in the metro area. He said the APD is working with the Morrow, Clayton County and Gwinnett County police departments on the robberies.

Meadows gave this description of the incident:

A officer responded and entered the restaurant, encountering the robber in the drive-through window area. When the robber tried to draw his weapon, the police officer asked him to put his gun down and surrender. The robber turned toward the policeman, who then fired twice at the robber, striking him.

The man staggered out the back door of the restaurant. The policeman ran out the front door of the restaurant, and confronted the suspect in the parking lot, where he shot as many as eight more shots, striking the robber and killing him.

The man, whose name has not been released, died in the parking lot. Police say he had a large amount of cash on him and that he may be tied to several other robberies of Burger King restaurants in the metro area. Meadows said the Fulton County Medical Examiner's officer would identify him. His late model, dark colored car, recovered in the parking lot, was registered in Fulton County.

Police would not release the name of the officer involved, and said he would be put on three days of administrative leave pending a review of the incident. Meadows said the officer involved in the shooting is a police force veteran.

"He established the correct tactical advantage in the restaurant and in the parking lot," Meadows said. 

Malani Massey, an Atlantic Station resident jogging down Peachtree after the incident, said she is concerned about the recent frequency of crime in Buckhead and elsewhere.

"It's happening all over the place," she said. "You just have to carry a knife, say a hail Mary, ask for divine intervention, and hope it's not your time to go."