Rockdale Citizen

CONYERS - A Conyers man walking to work Sunday along Old Covington Highway was robbed at gunpoint after a group of men in a car pulled up beside him.According to the Conyers Police Chief David Cathcart, the victim, a white man in his early 30s, was walking to work at Solo Cup at about 5:30 a.m. behind Wal-Mart, when a gray Honda traveling east with, according to the victim, three black men inside, pulled up to him to ask for directions to Peeks Landings."He gave them the directions and continued walking, and apparently, the vehicle went down a little bit and came back," Cathcart said. "The car pulled up and one of them jumped out and pulled a black in color, semi-automatic handgun."The man told police that he put his hands up when he saw the gun, and the group of men forced him to lay face down on the ground. The men then went through the man's pockets and took a cell phone, a wallet and about $50 in cash.The men then left in the car and were last seen heading east toward Dogwood Drive and Salem Road. Cathcart said the men were described as being in their mid- to late 20s and wearing all black clothing.In a separate incident later that day, a woman was attacked by a would-be purse snatcher after she walked out of a restaurant at Irwin Bridge Road and Main Street.According to Cathcart, the Hispanic woman was dining at the restaurant at about 8:45 p.m. when she walked out to her car to retrieve her purse. As she began to return to the restaurant the woman met a Hispanic man sitting on a bench just outside the restaurant."(He) asked her to buy him dinner," Cathcart said. "She said she didn't have the money and would give him a dollar when she paid for her food and got some change. By that time, he jumped up and grabbed her - one hand by the arm and the other by the hair - and started a struggle."The man reportedly dragged the woman to the side of the building while he attempted to grab her purse. The struggled continued for awhile, and the woman was punched but she didn't let go of the purse. The woman screamed and, eventually, the man let go of her and ran away.The woman described her assailant as being an Hispanic man in his early 20s, heavy set and about 6 feet, 1 inch tall. He was last seen wearing gray shorts and a red shirt with black strips, Cathcart said.The woman had scratches from the attack, but did not require medical assistance, Cathcart said.As of Tuesday, both cases were still under investigation and no arrests had been made.Jay Jones can be reached at jay.jones@rockdalecitizen.com