Unusual incidents and criminal investigations in 2022. (Coweta County Sheriff's Office, Kennesaw Police Department, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
A few incidents and investigations caught the attention of FOX 5 Atlanta viewers.
These metro Atlanta crimes committed in 2022 perhaps surprised even veteran law enforcement officers. Suspects took unique tactics or went to unexpected lengths to conceal their alleged crimes.
Here are examples of the strangest crimes in 2022:
Half-dressed ‘underwear bandits’ arrested
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FOX 5 viewer helps deputies track down underwear bandit suspects
It seemed like only a matter of time, but the so called underwear bandits are now behind bars. The story about these half-dressed women stealing men's underwear went viral this summer and it helped in their capture.
A tip from a FOX 5 Atlanta viewer helped lead to the arrest of three women suspected of stealing thousands of dollars in underwear.
Coweta County investigators explained the suspects were also half-dressed when surveillance video caught them taking Nike men's briefs at Kohl’s stores in metro Atlanta.
"After the story ran, the investigator of the case received multiple good tips from all over, so it worked in this case and all three individuals have been arrested and have been charged with felony shoplifting," said Coweta County Sheriff’s Sgt. Toby Nix
Investigators arrested 18-year-old Mia Simone Martin, 22-year-old Jazzmin Queenia Jones and 18-year-old Za’Asia Rowland, charged with taking around $1,800 in underwear.
'Fanny pack bandits' target high-end fragrances
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Investigators search for uniquely dressed 'fanny pack bandits'
Investigators in Coweta County say fanny packs are back in style, but not in a good way. Two men are wanted for using the 90s-era pouches to make off with hundreds of dollars’ worth of fragrances.
Investigators launched a search for two men donning fanny packs allegedly stealing men’s fragrances.
Investigators said the suspects used their '90s-era accessories to conceal high-dollar men’s cologne.
"This was two separate individuals that were working together and both of them ended up leaving the store with about $550 worth of different fragrances from Sephora," said Coweta County Investigator Stacey Beckom.
Murder suspect arrested after calling police about cold fries
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911 call about cold fries leads to arrest of man wanted for murder
It started with a disagreement over fries at a fast food restaurant in Cobb County. It turned into a police chase and a customer being arrested. That customer was out on bond on murder charges, police said.
Police body cam video showed a man complaining about his fries at a McDonald's in Kennesaw before hews arrested.
"I tried the fries, they were lukewarm, but they weren't hot," said the man in the video, identified as 24-year-old Antoine Sims.
24-year-old Antoine Sims
When officers searched for Sims' name in a law enforcement database, they got an alert there was a warrant out for his arrest.
Sims was charged in the murder of a woman in Johns Creek in 2018. Sims was out on bond, but had a warrant for his arrest in Fulton County for failure to appear.
When Kennesaw police tried to give Sims the criminal trespass warning, he took off running. Police caught up with him in an apartment complex.
Man claims armed robbery was a joke
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High school teen ‘fakes’ an armed robbery, police say
A bizarre armed robbery in Cherokee County. A man points a gun at a store clerk, but later laughs about it saying it was just a joke.
Surveillance video shows a masked, hooded man walked into the Smoke Stars vape shop on Sixes Road in Canton with a gun drawn.
Video shows him pointing the gun at the clerk demanding specific vape products. Then, he apparently starts laughing, pulls off his mask and walks out without taking anything.
Days later, deputies arrested 18-year-old Brandon McMahon at Woodstock High School. McMahon allegedly told investigators it was a joke for a YouTube video, but detectives didn't buy it.
Brandon McMahon (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
Detectives don't believe it was a social media prank, they believe it was a real crime with a case of cold feet.
"This was an actual armed robbery that he changed his mind about during the act and tried to downplay it and leave the scene," said Capt. Jay Baker.