Guns modified to be automatic weapons a growing problem in metro Atlanta, gang unit commander says

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
6

A new Atlanta Police initiative, dubbed Operation Spring Forward, aims to crack down on violent crime and gang activity.

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Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne was at Atlanta Police headquarters Thursday, where he talked to Atlanta Police Gang Unit Commander Lt. Derrick Jones about a big problem police are seeing on the streets of metro Atlanta.

An Atlanta police helicopter recently hovered over an East Point apartment complex and shot video on the aftermath of an attempted traffic stop that led to a chase. Jones said that all three guns recovered during that operation on April 1, the first night of Operation Spring Forward, had an added switch that essentially turned their weapons into machine guns.

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“The one with the hoody on is running with a hand in his pocket,” Jones said. “He has a 65 on him. Located was three Glocks with switches, separate, different types of switches. Turns them into automatic weapons.”

Jones said police are seeing the modified guns more and more.

Police were only able to capture one of the two men who ran from police after the East Pont Chase. Jones said they are still investigating whether the suspect who was caught was a gang member and where the guns come from.

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“There’s other strategies that we can use to investigate where those weapons came from, who purchased them to kind of lead back to how these weapons came back if we can find that out at all,” Jones said.

Jones said getting modified guns off the street is a key focus of Atlanta Police and of Operation Spring Forward.

“We’re always trying to get illegal weapons off the street. Our motto is, ‘Gangs, guns and drugs, 24-7, 365.″