Inset: Phelan Thorpe. Background: Thorpe allegedly assaulted a woman and stole her cellphone in Atlanta, Georgia (Atlanta Police Department).
A Georgia man allegedly assaulted a woman in broad daylight, took her phone, then stole a police car and took a joyride as officers tried to arrest him. When the woman got her phone back, she discovered the man had allegedly left an unnerving message on her voicemail greeting.
Phelan Thorpe, 30, stands accused of battery, robbery, terroristic threats and hijacking a motor vehicle, among other charges.
The alleged crime rampage began around 2 p.m. Saturday at 10 Peachtree Place NE in Atlanta. A video of the incident released by police showed the suspect chasing the victim before tackling her.
Thorpe appeared to punch the victim while she was on the ground as some onlookers hesitated to intervene, the video showed. The suspect allegedly ran away with the victim's phone and driver's license.
Cops said they identified Thorpe as the suspect and responded to the 2000 block of Thomasville Drive SE around 5:15 p.m. Monday to arrest him.
As officers approached him, he "became irate" and raised his fists, according to a warrant obtained by local NBC affiliate WXIA.
"What the f— ya'll want, man?" he allegedly said.
He also allegedly referred to the assault, saying, "I killed that b— the other day," per the warrant.
Then he threatened the officers, the warrant reportedly said.
"Y'all two b—es can't take me, y'all needs to call for back up …. I'll shoot y'all and everybody else," he allegedly proclaimed.
Thorpe allegedly moved behind a police cruiser, got inside and drove off.
He made it to nearby Clayton County, where he crashed into a tanker truck, cops said.
Cops arrested him and booked him into the Fulton County Jail.
The victim of the alleged assault, Amaris Coleman, received her phone back from police. But Coleman later realized that Thorpe allegedly left a message behind for her on her voicemail greeting, she said in an interview with local Fox affiliate WAGA.
"I don't even give a f— about the phone no more," Thorpe allegedly said. "I'm gonna come air that b— out, on God. Boy, when I found out I [had] your ID, f— that, shorty, I need $600 on my cash app."
Cops said that Thorpe followed the victim from a commuter train before he assaulted her.
"I'm in the middle of the street, fighting for my life in the broad daylight," she told WAGA.
Coleman, a Georgia State University student, called Thorpe a "menace," pointing to his long criminal history that includes attempted robbery and battery.
"His whole M.O. is to beat people up and steal things that aren't his," Coleman said.
Thorpe remains in the Fulton County Jail on a $67,000 bond.
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