Detectives with the Mobile Police Department are working a short list of suspects after a weekend in which officers answered burglary calls across the city — including one home invasion where a resident was forced inside at gunpoint and robbed.
Held at Gunpoint on Moffett Road
The most serious case unfolded around 2 a.m. Friday at the Oak Ridge Apartments on Moffett Road. Officers arriving at 4215 Moffett Road found an unharmed man who told them multiple people had forced him into his own home at gunpoint, then ransacked it and carried off several items before fleeing into the dark.
Police did not release descriptions of the suspects, who remain at large. Because the intruders allegedly armed themselves and entered an occupied home, the case is being pursued as a potential first-degree burglary — Alabama’s most serious burglary charge, which applies when an intruder enters an occupied home while armed or causes injury. The investigation remained active as of Monday.
Caught Fleeing on Airport Boulevard
Hours earlier that Friday afternoon, officers responding to a report of a break-in at a home off Airport Boulevard found better luck. At about 1 p.m., a man allegedly forced his way into the residence at 3854 Rue Maison, where two women were inside, and threatened them. Officers arriving on the scene spotted the suspect trying to flee and took him into custody a short time later.
He faces third-degree burglary and attempt-to-elude charges, and the investigation remained open as of Monday morning.
An Arrest at Walmart
The day’s third case ended with an arrest before it began. Around 4:30 p.m., officers were flagged down at the Walmart at 101 E. I-65 Service Road near Dauphin Street, where employees had detained a woman accused of stealing merchandise. Police identified her as Savanna Johnson, 28, of Mobile, and said she had previously been trespassed from the store.
Because of that prior trespass notice, the alleged theft crossed the line from shoplifting into burglary under state law, and Johnson was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail on a third-degree burglary charge.
Gunfire on Michael Donald Avenue
The weekend’s final reported burglary turned violent. Around 1:55 p.m. Sunday, officers were sent to the 120 block of Michael Donald Avenue, where a man told them he had been pistol-whipped and shot at during a break-in. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the beating and was taken to a hospital for treatment of other injuries; the gunfire missed him.
Detectives have not identified the suspect in that case. MPD said the unidentified man could face first-degree burglary and second-degree assault charges once he is found.
What Residents Can Do
Police urged residents to report suspicious activity in their neighborhoods immediately rather than assuming someone else has already called, noting that description details gathered in the first minutes after a crime — clothing, direction of travel, vehicle type — often make the difference in whether suspects are caught.
Anyone with information about the Moffett Road home invasion, the Michael Donald Avenue shooting or any of the weekend’s other cases is asked to call the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211.