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Psychologist said stress and fear may be contributing to the uptick in crime in Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA — There has been a seemingly unexplainable increase in violent acts in all of metro Atlanta.

Shoppers at Lenox Square were eyewitnesses to latest shooting incident at the mall.

Sunday there was an attempted robbery of the Apple store and shooting at Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead. This is the latest in a string of violent events for the upscale shopping destination.

The latest incident was captured on social media by shoppers at the mall.

A witness that posted a video to Instagram said, “the next thing you know shots were fired... like a few shots... right in front of us at the apple store.”

In video posted to another social media page, the security guard is seen pacing with his hands up in front of the store. Later, there is a brief struggle before one of the suspects can be seen firing a weapon.

The security guard is now listed in critical condition at a local hospital.

The suspects are just 15 years old and are currently in police custody.

The next day, on Monday morning, police said someone shot into a car and injured a woman inside it happened on Interstate 85 in Midtown.

Police believe road rage was the motive.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington spoke with a psychologist to discuss what factors may be driving the new levels of violence we are currently experiencing.

“We’ve been carrying a lot of stress for the last year and a half so there’s that pent up frustration that we feel within ourselves,” said Dr. Rebecca Osei.

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Dr. Rebecca Johnson Osei specializes in complex mental and emotional issues.

So far, since January 2021, police have responded to more than a dozen highway shootings in metro Atlanta.

“There are a lot of theories in social psychology about what makes people be more aggressive,” Dr. Osei said.

“You yourself might be more on edge and that actually might cause yourself to respond more aggressively. For example someone cuts you off in traffic and you perceive it as an aggressive act.”



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